The Poetics of Aristotle - The Original Classic Edition

Many screenwriting gurus say Everything you need to know about how to write good drama is in Aristotles Poetics, but then they never explain whats actually in that work! Ive tried reading Aristotles original text, but it is really tough going. Tiernos book is a real find - it boils down a rambling, classics text into concise concepts, tips and techniques that I could understand and use. Tierno provides examples of how all this stuff really works in a variety of films, too. This book is not only practical, but pretty inspiring, too. It gets to the heart and roots of good drama, something you can forget about when you get bogged down with a script. After reading this, I was excited and motivated to return to my own work.

This book is useful for fiction writers as well as screenwriters. The author interprets Aristotles ideas and suggestions and then renders them with examples into language applicable to modern drama. Many of Aristotles original ideas are quoted and have timeless power. For example: Beginners succeed earlier with Diction and Characters than with the construction of a story.

Tierno relates how the parts of a modern script evaluation (Log Line, Brief, Plot Summary, Comments, Idea, Story, Character, Dialogue, and Production Values) mirror Aristotles examination of the same elements. I especially liked how the film Gladiator was used for the example of the mistake in a heros reasoning, leading to the heros subsequent related misfortunes.

The short length makes the book a fast but powerful read.