false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170849619m/74203.jpg 74203 4 Playwright David Mamet's three lectures at Columbia University are ostensibly about issues of dramatic structure, but as they unfold, and Mamet continually explores the relationship between dramatic structure and the lives we live, much broader concerns are revealed. Here, for example, is Mamet on political propaganda:<p> <blockquote>It is ... essential to the healthy political campaign that the issues be largely or perhaps totally symbolic--i.e., non-quantifiable. Peace With Honor, Communists in the State Department, Supply Side Economics, Recapture the Dream, Bring Back the Pride--these are the stuff of pageant. They are not social goals; they are, as Alfred Hitchcock told us, <I>the MacGuffin</I>.... The less specific the qualities of the MacGuffin are, the more interested the audience will be.... A loose abstraction allows audience members to project their own desires onto an essentially featureless goal.</blockquote><p> Although occasionally academic, the overall tone of the lectures is consistent with Mamet's no-nonsense manner of speech. He has no time for obfuscation and little time for repetition, save when he must absolutely employ it for emphasis. He is passionate about good theater, and passionate about the truth. <I>3 Uses of the Knife</I> makes an excellent companion piece to his <I>True and False</I>, which addressed similar philosophical matters in the form of advice on the actor's craft. 71796 1998 Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama total:214|5:63|4:83|3:54|2:11|1:3| 214 834 287 28 3 1 false true Mon Jan 19 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 13:28:20 -0800 2009 Tue Jan 20 00:39:39 -0800 2009 Here i find myself in the uncomfortable position of thinking Mamet is wrong. Only in a tiny little spot, but it's distressing nonetheless. It's when he says that the drama is an inferior way of "reaching" or teaching things to an audience. And, that if the desire is to "...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Aug 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 01 16:08:32 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 17 08:00:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Aug 13 12:02:46 -0700 2008 Wed Aug 13 12:27:34 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jun 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 14:10:26 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 14:14:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 24 11:43:06 -0700 2008 Thu Apr 24 11:47:22 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Mar 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Mar 17 17:29:20 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 05:43:57 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Apr 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 20:35:02 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 22 20:37:38 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jul 22 09:54:15 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 09:55:24 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Apr 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 20:00:53 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 10 20:02:31 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Jan 07 19:14:47 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 07 19:15:24 -0800 2009 1 0 false false Thu Dec 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 22 08:18:06 -0800 2008 Sat Apr 18 21:20:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 02 11:30:57 -0800 2008 Sat Feb 02 11:35:29 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Mar 16 15:07:23 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 29 14:46:54 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri May 18 18:35:25 -0700 2007 Sun May 20 00:09:38 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Oct 28 10:33:03 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 10:34:41 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Thu Jul 10 10:45:19 -0700 2008 Thu Jul 10 11:00:41 -0700 2008 A must read. An intersting view into to what people do all day.]]> 4 0 false false Sun Dec 30 19:38:27 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 30 19:39:31 -0800 2007 5 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu May 01 05:54:35 -0700 2008 Thu May 01 13:56:02 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon May 07 08:41:43 -0700 2007 Mon May 07 08:42:24 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Tue Apr 03 11:16:03 -0700 2007 Tue Apr 03 11:17:38 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=74203