To what extent would you agree that plot should be valued more highly than style in the work?
I do not always agree that plot should be valued greater than style, or that style valued greater than plot. I think that it is something that can vary from work to work.
In The Wild Duck by Ibsen, the author uses a very realistic and relate able style within her characters, which helps the audience identify with them. The language in this play is very realistic and natural, which creates a unique style that puts emphasis more upon this within the work.
Gregers (who has gotten up). Yes of course he did. But not that- (Walks about the floor.) Yes, wait a minute- it may well be, now that I think of it. My father's letters are always so brief. (Sits on chair arm.) Listen, tell me, Hjalmar -this is interesting- how did you come do know Gina?-your wife, I mean.
In this quote, it can be seen that there are alot of dashes and commas, indicating hesitation and pausing within the characters speech. This makes the speech sound awkward and fast, which is how people usually talk, there speech is not perfect in reality. This is an example of how Wild Duck's style is heavily emphasized. This contradicts somewhat with Oedipus, whose emphasis seems to be more on plot structure.
In Oedipus the King by Sophocles, the play focuses heavily on the plot of the story. In the days of Ancient Greece, specifically 5th-6th Century B.C., the audience watching a classic play such as that of Oedipus would have already known the story that they were going to see. However, it is the style of the author and the way that they choose to manipulate the story that really mattered. For example, one thing that made Sophocles' Oedipus so great was that the way Oedipus discovered the truth about his family and himself was different than what had happened in past plays. Often, Oedipus would find out what he had done through divine intervention or by accident, but it is only through his painstaking detective work in Sophocles' version that he manages to discover the truth. In this respect, it is the plot of Oedipus that really makes the play a great work. Sophocles' manipulation of the elements of plot are what essentially make the work such a great tragedy.
I heavily agree with your idea of relativity here. I like how you acknowledge some gray area, and a sense of middle ground, as neglecting to consider such is a false dilemma logical fallacy (black-and-white thinking). I do, however, personally believe that the plot is more important than the style.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you here too. I think it can really vary from play to play, and that each can serve different purposes. Like Jordy though, I often see style as just the frosting on the plot, simply adding dementions to what is actually happening but not laying the ground work for the book.
ReplyDelete