By ERIC HOWARD of Califon Regional Facility Photoplay Plots and Plot Sources By ERIC HOWARD One of a Series of Lectures Especially Prepared for Student-Members of The Palmer Plan PALMER PHOTOPLAY CORPORATION DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Copyright, 1920, Palmer Photoplay Corporation, Los Angeles, California All Rights Reserved ERIC HOWARD ERIC HOWARD, the author of "Photoplay Plots and Plot Sources," was born in Baltimore, Md., educated in the Oakland, California, High School and the University of California, after which he was recognized by the late Jack Lon- don as a promising story writer, and served his literary appren- ticeship under that master. Later he studied at Harvard College, specializing in literature and psychology. While in college and subsequently, he served as reporter and dramatic reviewer on San Francisco, Boston and New York newspapers. He has writ- ten several successful vaudeville plays and has contributed verse and fiction to the magazines, as well as articles on Psychology and the Drama. In collaboration with George Branson-Howard, he has 'written a jour-act stage play, "The Alien." During the war he served as an enlisted expert in the psychological depart- ment of the United States Army, and also acted unofficially as Director of Education for the Y. M. C. A. He has studied the screen as a critic, a writer of original stories and continuities, and as a director. Upon his discharge from the Army, he became Chief Assistant to Frederick Palmer. Mr. Howard is a member of the American Poetry Society, the Modern School Association, and the Theatre Art Alliance. IN any discussion of fiction or drama, and especially in any consideration of the photoplay, one is brought at the very outset face to face with the problems of Plot. The plot forms the design on which the superstructure of any story or play is erected. In the original sense of the word a plot was simply a plot of ground, and by usage it has come to mean a design. A design, in the artistic sense, is a pattern, an arrangement, a composition. Just as a design is essential to every picture, and to every work of art, so is a plot (which is the pattern of the action)- necessary in every work of fiction and drama, and in every photoplay. Simple or complex it may be, as the design in a painting, but it must be there, fundamentally, or the play or story will be meaningless, chaotic and unde- signed. As the art student first of all studies Design and Composition, so it is necessary for the fictionist or photo- playwright to learn at the beginning something of Plot. Treatment Outweighs "Originality" 2 The definition of Plot as design should be kept in mind by the writer, for all too often one makes the mistake of striving to invent ingenious and "original" plots. Originality in writing fiction is a matter of treat- ment rather than of fundamental plot ideas. Shakes- peare, for example, in all his works, did not deal with a single original plot. Even "The Comedy of Errors" and "The Taming of the Shrew," commonly accepted as wholly Shakespeare's, may be traced to a comedy by Ariosto and one bv Plautus, both of which were undoubt- edly familiar to Shakespeare. But no one will deny that in the use of his material Shakespeare greatly improved upon the sources from which he borrowed. Many of his contemporaries treated the very same themes in a less, dis- tinguished manner, but it is the work of Shakespeare that is remembered and read today. That there is nothing [3] new under the sun is certainly true when applied to plot material, but, like most truisms of its kind, it frequently causes mental laziness rather than the keen, affirmative attitude that always characterizes the truly creative writer. 3. The plots of contemporary novels, stage plays and photoplays may be traced definitely to ancient and honorable sources. The novelty and value of modern stories depend upon the manner in which the author has used the original design and upon the significance of his finished play to a modern audience. The trained writer has far less trouble in finding a plot than in giving it life and significance after he has chosen it. The first problem that confronts the writer is that of selection. Which plot shall he choose? Quite often the very wealth of plot material is confusing to young writers; they become "blinded by the vast supply of ideas and know not where to seek nor what to select. Just as the average person fails to see the wealth of beauty Nature unfolds until the artist points it out to him, so many writers spend weary months in looking for plot ideas when they are every- where present to the discerning eye. Fairy Tales a Source. 4. A few years ago I was visiting one of America's most ingenious novelists and story tellers, a man with an amazing plot ability. His detective stories are very well known, and he is credited with an unusual ingenuity in the creation of original plots. I entered his library one morning and glanced over many volumes. On the shelf of honor, nearest his favorite chair and close to his writing desk, I observed a number of large and beautiful volumes. Closer examination showed them to be books of fairy tales, one and all. Had the writer been a romantic author of love stories, I would not have been surprised. But nothing I had observed about him or his work would indi- cate his fondness for such tales. Later I asked him to explain it. He had just finished a very serious novel of New York life, in which the hero encountered unusual adventures and misfortunes, but eventually won out by his courage and nobility. I had read the novel in manuscript and it had struck me as a very novel and "original" work. [4] The novelist walked to the shelf of books and took down a large, illustrated volume. It was an edition of the "Arabian Nights," with splendid illustrations by Edmund Diulac which enhanced the significance of the stories. "How long since you've read 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'?" he asked. "Oh, many years," I answered. "Read it again and study the illustration and then you'll see just where I got the idea for my book. The novel is a modern, Manhattan version of 'Ali Baba'!" And as I read the familiar old story, I could see just how closely he had followed it, and just how marvelously he had fitted the design to modern characters and a modern locale. His central character, described at length in the novel, was a highly romanticized Ali. Thirty-six Fundamental Situations. 5. Then I saw the significance of the shelf of fairy tales. Each story on that shelf was a source of inspira- tion, each was a plot, a design, many of them older than the records of history, getting down to the fundamental human emotions that were as true and interesting in fOOO B. C, as they are today. All plots are designs into which human actions and emotions are fitted, which serve to reproduce life and to accentuate its meanings for the reader or the spectator. There are only thirty-six funda- mental human emotions, only thirty-six fundamental dramatic situations, and all plots are the results of designs in 'which these emotions and situations are arranged. The vast panorama of Life itself is the plot of a master Plotter, involving all of the emotions and situations. Often, to us, seen through finite eyes and judged by finite minds, the infinite scope of existence may seem chaotic and undesigned. But the seers and prophets and poets of the race have been as gods on a mountain and have perceived the fine symmetry of the cosmic design. Every strong plot that has been created by the human imagination has been a finite reproduction or manifesta- tion of the cosmic symmetry, which even primitive man perceived. 7. All of 'us are familiar with the story of "Cinder- [5] ella." It is the ever-popular, ever-interesting and ever- dramatic story. Miss M. R. Cox, in her book on "Cin- derella," has traced three hundred and forty-five variants of the Cinderella story. It has existed among all peoples, seemingly from the beginning of time. Its earliest classic form is probably, the story of Rhodopis, the "rosy- cheeked," whose sandal was snatched away by an eagle and carried to the King Psammetichus at Memphis, who searched the world for the owner of the sandal and finally found her. A slightly different version of the story of Rhodopis is suggested by a fragment of Sappho, whose brother is said to have found Rhodopis in slavery and to have freed her because of her beauty. Charaxus, the brother of Sappho, is perhaps the original Prince of the tale. Thus the story was familiar in 600 B. C. 8. But let it not be supposed that we have traced it to its origin, for in all probability it springs from a pre- historic nature myth, according to which the dawn (Cin- derella) was oppressed by night clouds (cruel relatives) and rescued by the sun (the Prince). Most of the plots of today may be traced in this way back to nature myths, which are indicative of prehistoric man's tendency to reproduce the design of Nature in human, understandable terms. The Reason for Fiction. Therein lies the reason for fiction. It serves to give the reader or the spectator a wide sense of life, greater and more objective than that he has personally expe- rienced. The ancient minstrel was one ivho could sing of marvels, and so carry the imagination of his auditors away from their own narrow existence into a broader, freer realm of fancy. The fictionist of today fulfills a similar task. And the photoplaywright especially, with his international audience of millions, possesses the magic language of action by which emotion is invariably expressed to make his appeal and to carry his audience into the realm of fancy. 10. But always, as in the Cinderella story, there must be a sound natural basis the design must be pat- terned after that of Nature, for otherwise it will have no [6] significance for the audience. Having been popular, in one form and another, for twenty-five hundred years, it is not to be doubted that the story of Cinderella will con- tinue to appeal. Among the stage successes-ef recent years which have followed the ancient pattern, one may name : The Marriage of Kitty Smith, The Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary, The Real Thing, Kitty McKay, Peg o My Heart, Years of Discretion, The Wishing Ring, Fanchon, Merely Mary Ann, Caprice, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Prunella, Daddy Long Legs, The Brat, and Pollyanna. Among novels of the day the list is interminable. Count- less photoplays have been developed upon the same pat- tern, which, if skillfully used, seem to carry the assurance of success. 11. The fairy tale of Prince Cophetua and the beg- gar maid is a variant of Cinderella that brings out even more clearly the basic conflict and the contrasting char- acters. The rich man, the poor girl, her misfortune, his protecting influence these are the fundamental plot ele- ments of many successful stories, varying in the novelty and distinction the individual author brings to their treatment. A Classic Myth. 12. Less definitely the classic myth of Pygmalion and Galatea is a variant of the same plot idea. Pygma- lion, you will remember, fell in love with the ivory image of a maiden he himself had made, and prayed to Aphro- dite to breathe life into her. The request was granted and he married her. Pygmalion is a mythical char- acter and the story a mvth, but it is the source of a great deal of modern poetry and fiction. To cite a clear exam- ple, Bernard Shaw gave us his brilliant drama entitled "Pygmalion" only a few years ago, in which he made use of the old pattern in a new and delightful way. William Morris, in The Earthly Paradise, gives a beautiful poetic rendering of this legend. 13. I have mentioned the "Arabian Nights." The plots that owe their origin to it are incalculable in num- ber, and its pages are alive with suggestions and inspira- tions. Similarly all legends, myths, and fairy tales are [7] suggestive of plots and are the patterns upon which modern stories may be written. Aesop, Grimm, Ander- son, La Fontaine and the many books of Andrew Lang all contain the suggestions and ideas that have been entertaining and instructive to men of all time. Modern Legends. 14. Not only in ancient legends are plots to be found, but in the popular legends of modern places. Certain sections of our country possess a romantic inter- est of this kind. We are all acquainted with the story of Pocahontas, for example, which has served as the basis of an infinite number of Indian plays and photo- plays. The legends of the Colonial period, Indian folk- lore, such as the story of Hiawatha, tales told by old inhabitants in almost any primitive section of the coun- try all this is material for the creative author. Natu- rally such legends are not in themselves effective photo- play plots, but many of them contain the basis, the germ, of strong and appealing stories. In the work of develop- ing such germs, of modernizing and dramatizing them, the creative author has a sufficiently difficult task. Here is the design, here is the bare skeleton but the task of giving it the color and harmony and strength of reality yet remains. I do not wish to convey that the task of creative writing is an easy one, that plots may be found ready-made wherever one looks. But rather, by indi- cating the chief original sources of plots, I hope to suggest new themes and subjects that are worthy of imaginative treatment. Gold is where you find it but it must be mined and milled and minted before it can be exchanged for other commodities. 15. Only the other day, in reading so recent a book as Mary Austin's "Land of Little Rain," I was impressed with the legendary nature of primitive life. In that book, Mrs. Austin writes of the Mojave desert and the towns that border it forsaken "boom" towns, for the greater part, each with its half-mythical history, its almost legendary characters, and its one or two word-of-mouth historians who are willing to talk of the glorious days that are past and gone. An old Spaniard, who still [8] remembers the days before the Gringoes came to Cali- fornia, has told me more interesting stories than I shall ever have time to write, most of them legendary in that they deal with a time that is past and largely unrecorded. Another friend, who mushed over the Chilcoot pass in the vanguard of the Klondike rush, is a mine of Alaskan tales, also largely legendary, the product of time and many men's imagination. Whenever one comes in con- tact with the primitive conditions or primitive minds one finds variants of the legends that are recorded in the most ancient books. And because drama must deal, to be gen- erally appealing, with universal and fundamental emo- tions, such legends are the source of the most dramatic plots. A Suggestive List. 16. In this connection it will be sufficient to men- tion in passing some of the stories that have been adapted by modern writers and developed into pleasing and effective plots. Consider such stories as Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp; Alice in Wonderland; Beauty and the Beast; Bluebeard; The Cat and the Mouse (from Aesop); the Changeling; the Fountain of Youth; Sir Galahad; the Golden Goose; Goldilocks and the Three Bears; Hiawatha; King Midas; Red Riding Hood; the Miller, His Son and The Donkey; Pandora's Box; Poca- hontas; The Pot of Gold; The Prince Who Found His Heart; William Tell; Sleeping Beauty; Sleeping Prin- cess; Snow White, etc. Where could one find a more fascinating range of plot ideas than in this haphazard list, which is a briefly suggestive rather than an exhaustive survey of this portion of the plot sources we are consid- ering? 17. Molded in the crucible of fancy and transmuted in the alembic of the imagination, these ancient stories are as interesting today as when the primitive man laid aside his stone hammer to listen to the first poet. Chil- dren will give their rapt attention to these tales, and the child mind is often a better judge of fiction and the photoplay than one more mature, for, again, the reason for the existence of the photoplay is to bear the tired m mind and the lethargic imagination away to a childish land of romance. Even the most realistic of modern screendrama, if it is artistic, fulfills this purpose, for it introduces the reader to characters and places he other- wise would not have known. 18. A skillful photoplaywright can adapt any or all of the fairy tales mentioned^above and develop them into interesting and successful modern plays. Cease this feverish questing for plots! Plots are everywhere, and there is other work 'to be done. Here are the patterns, the design is drawn now let us give it a subtle treat- ment of Notan (light and dark), color, perspective, char- acter and interest to use the phrases of the artist. The skeleton is here and it remains for the creative writer to give it the heart, the soul, and the movement of reality. The Story of Midas. 19. Take, haphazardly, the story of Midas. The story is briefly set forth somewhat as follows: "Midas, son of Gordius and king of Phrygia, was renowned for his immense riches. In consequence of his kind treatment of Silenus, the companion and teacher of Dionysus (the Greek god of wine), the latter allowed Midas to ask a favor of him. Midas in his folly desired that all things which he touched should be changed into gold. The request was granted; but as even the food which he touched became gold, he implored the god to take his favor back. Dionysus accordingly ordered him to bathe in the sources of the Pactolus. This bath saved Midas, but the river from that time had an abundance of gold in its sand . . ." 20. There is more to the story of Midas, and it is recorded in many versions, but the quotation will serve to indicate its value as a dramatic source. Even from so brief an account the character of Midas is revealed. What a perfect role such a character would provide for an actor of Frank Keenan's distinction, for example! Midas, the lover of wealth for its own sake, who even- tually finds that his prayers for wealth are so fully answered that he is choked by it. He is saved by bathing in the river Pactolus, literally in the fable, but it requires [10] no great elasticity of imagination to interpret this river as the river of Experience, or of Sorrow, or of Remorse, in which the soul of the man is saved. Surround such a central character with others in contrast, give it a modern and living expression, and a strong drama will be the result. 21. The other stories I have mentioned, and hun- dreds of others besides, may be interpreted and developed in much the same way. Indeed, they have been and will continue to be so long as the human imagination is human, for in all man's experience we can find only varying com- binations of thirty-six fundamental dramatic situations. This fact, however, is no more a limitation of drama than the octaves are a limitation of music, the fourteen lines a limitation of the sonnet, or the fact that all design in art is composed of straight and curved lines a limitation of painting or sculpture. Classic Sources. 22. Classical literature, other than the myths, is also rich in suggestive plot ideas. The Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer, epics of a mighty and cultured race, are filled with stories which may be modernized to good advantage. The Aeneid of Virgil, similarly, is of value, and the plays of Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides con- tain dramatic elements that have recurred to this day. Let us consider briefly some of the stories of Homer, those which are most suggestive of modern plots. 23. It would be difficult to find a more inspiring character than Achilles, the hero of the Iliad, and his -adventures rival those of any modern hero. The "swift- footed" Achilles led his hosts against Troy and formed the bulwark of the Greeks. In the midst of the war he was compelled to give up Briseis, a hostage girl he loved, and forthwith refused^ to fight, sulking boyishly in his tent. The Greeks were fast losing the war, but Achilles, like an angry boy, sulked on until his friend Patroclus was killed by the Trojans. Then his anger was aroused and he went forth to avenge the death of his friend. His great emotion was ambition, but with it there was mingled a strong pride, an almost childish sensitiveness, and a great courage. In the life of Achilles there are hundreds of plots, and in the character itself there is a strength and a human tenderness that will always be interesting in plays, as it is in life. 24. In the same way Hercules, whose exploits are the most interesting romance of literature; and Ulysses, the great navigator and the master of strategic subtlety; and Aeneas, the hero of a fascinating romance with Dido, queen of Carthage; suggest to the imaginative student definite plot ideas which may be developed and modern- ized in a way that will appeal to the theatre patrons of today. 25. Among classic women, Penelope, the wife of Ulysses, whose subtlety in the treatment of undesirable suitors is a brilliant revelation of feminine wit; Helen, who, like Eve, and her modern sisters, allowed her vanity to cause a great deal of bloodshed and strife; Circe, the first of the vampires, who met her match in Ulysses ; Dido, who according to one version chose death in preference to infidelity to the memory of her dead husband; may be mentioned as suggestions. Cleopatra, Phryne, and Sappho, along with others from the Bible and other non- classical sources, have already inspired a great deal of modern drama and fiction. 26. Before passing from the classic period I would suggest the story of Cupid and Psyche, one of the most beautiful legends we have inherited from the Greeks and one especially susceptible of modern treatment. 27. "Psyche, 'the soul', occurs in the later times of antiquity as a personification of the human soul. Psyche was the youngest of the three daughters of a king, and excited by her beauty the jealousy and envy of Aphrodite. In order to avenee herself, the goddess ordered Cupid to inspire Psyche with a love for the most contemptible of all men; but Cupid was so stricken with her beauty that he himself fell in love with her. He accordingly con- veyed her to a charming spot, where unseen and unknown, he visited her every night, and left her as soon as the day began to dawn. But her jealous sister made her believe that in the darkness of night she was embracing some hideous monster, and accordingly once, while Cupid was [12] asleep, she drew near to him with a lamp, and, to her amazement, beheld the most handsome and lovely of the gods. In the excitement of joy and fear, a drop of hot oil fell from her lamp upon his shoulder. This awoke Cupid, who censured her for her mistrust, and fled. Psyche's happiness was now gone, and after attempting in vain to throw herself into a river, she wandered about from temple to temple, inquiring after her lover, and at length came to the palace of Aphrodite. There her real sufferings began, for Aphrodite retained her, treated her as a slave, and imposed upon her the hardest and most humiliating labors. Psyche would have perished under the weight of her sufferings, had not Cupid, who still loved her in secret, invisibly comforted and assisted her in her toils. With his aid she at last succeeded in over- coming the hatred and jealousy of Aphrodite; she became immortal and was united to him forever. In this story Psyche of course represents the human soul, which is puri- fied by passions and misfortunes, and thus prepared for the enjoyment of true and pure happiness." The Bible a Fertile Field. 28. Some one has said that all stories may be traced to the book of Genesis, in the Bible. It is certainly true that many plots have their origin in the Bible, and that many are suggested bv the first book. The Bible, more than any other source we have considered, is the complete expression of man's attitude towards the infinite, and it is therefore a more comprehensive manifestation in human terms of eternal conflicts than any other source. In the forty chapters of the book of Genesis, from the creation of Adam and Eve to the death of Joseph, almost every human emotion is expressed. Consider the stories contained within forty brief chapters. The story of Adam and Eve, the eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, the punishment, and the curse upon them. The storv of Cain and Abel, which continually recurs in today's fiction; the storv of Noah and the flood; the prom- ised land of Canaan, Abram and Lot; Sari and Hagar; Lot and his Wife; Rebecca and Isaac; Leah and Rachel; the birth of Joseph; Joseph and his brethren; Joseph and [13] Potiphar's wife; the interpretation of dreams; Joseph's rise to power; his forgiveness of his brethren, etc. 29. One of these stones that of Joseph and his brethren was very recently utilized by an English dramatist, Louis N. Parker, in a spectacular play with that title. All of the other stories to be found in Genesis may similarly be employed today, and they are all sug- gestive of modern stories in which the same types of char- acters and the same emotional conflicts form the basis of the play. 30. The entire Pentateuch, or first five books of the Old Testament, commonly attributed to Moses, is rich in suggestive plot ideas. Stories of universal and poignant interest are to be found throughout the Old Testament, and very often a single verse, as in the Psalms, will so clearly set forth an idea, a basic conflict, that it may sug- gest a complete modern story. 31. Two books of the Old Testament, Ruth and Esther, are especially interesting from our point of view, for they are two of the finest short stories in any language. Ruth's adherence to Naomi in her hour of trial, their suf- fering and bravery, Ruth's meeting with Boaz, his acknowledgment of her, their marriage in this simple story we find three well-constructed and striking charac- ters. The plot is simple, as great stories are likely to be, but it possesses the poignance and the appeal of impres- sive drama. It has been adapted for the stage, in the form of pantomimes, many times and in a less obvious way it has formed the design on which many novels and dramas have been written. 32. Not long ago I read a very fine story founded upon the book of Esther. It was a story of early Cali- fornia, and the author had followed the pattern of the Bible story very closely. Esther was called Estrella, Mordecai was changed to Michael, and in the modern tale Estrella was the defender of her people the old SpanisrTsettlers of early California just as her ancient prototype was the defender of the oppressed Jews in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. As I read the story, I felt that it was familiar, and the writer then explained just where she had found the source of her plot. [14] The New Testament. 33. The New Testament, and especially the four Gospels, are equally rich in story material. The life and works of Christ have exerted as powerful an influence in literature and drama as in life, and many stories of today are in a large sense stories of the Christ. Such stage successes as "The Passing of the Third Floor Back" and "The Servant in the House" are direct and clear expressions of this motif. It may also be found, less obviously treated, in Shaw's "Androcles and the Lion", Gorki's "Children of the Sun", and other modern plays. In novels it is an ever-present and appealing theme, and in a photoplay success of 1920, "The Miracle Man", it was developed in a very beautiful and realistic manner. Jesus of Nazareth is the greatest teacher the world has known, and it is natural that His life on earth ^in its human and fine and helpful aspects should influence the drama and literature of our own day. 34. In the lives and teachings of many other found- ers of religion, such as Gotama, Zoroaster, Confucius and Loa-Tze, Mohammed and Shinto, the alert imagination will find inspiration and suggestions. In all such reli- gious works the value to the fictionist lies in the fact that they are the accumulated knowledge and experience of the race. They are well-selected pages from the Book of Life, and the study of them promotes a more complete understanding of that vast Book from which all knowl- edge is obtained. Theme Sources. 35. Closely related to the works of religious sig- nificance are those that deal with philosophical theory. Such works, however, are more valuable as sources of themes than as definite plot sources. But very often, in even the most abstruse philosophy, one will find a state- ment of belief or principle that 'definitely expresses a dramatic conflict, which, by development, will result in a tense and appealing plot. The conflict between pagan- ism and Christianity has thus resulted in many works of the imagination, such as Shaw's Androcles and the Lion, already mentioned in another connection; Merjekowski's [15] brilliant trilogy, Christ and Anti-Christ, which traces the conflict from the time of the Roman Emperor Julian to the time of Peter the Great, and other less well-known works of contemporary fiction. So too the conflict be- tween Materialism and Idealism, which is at bottom a strictly philosophical conflict, has formed the foundation for plays and stories. Some of the novels and stage plays that have found their way to motion picture production which may be mentioned in this class are Charles Klein's "The Lion and the Mouse", Jack London's "The Sea Wolf", and Frank L. Packard's "The Miracle Man." 36. Whether or not one reads philosophy with pleasure one must have a personal philosophy of life, by which experience may be interpreted and made significant to the spectator. Writers who are mature in their experi- ence and have a sound attitude towards life do not require philosophical training, but young writers can make no mistake in acquiring 'a broad view of the philosophical principles that have influenced mankind. I know one poet, for example, who finds the works of Spinoza a con- tinual source of inspiration, who has been able to give to the dry theories of the pantheist the beauty and the art of lyrical verse. Historical Episodes. 37. In the acquisition of a sound insight into the motives that have swayed humanity there is perhaps no study more helpful than that of History. Many great works of the imagination have been developed upon his- torical episodes. Shakespeare, especially, has found his plots in the records of the historians and has then infused them with new life and character. Modern novelists and dramatists, no less than Shakespeare, have followed the same practice with excellent success. Such photoplays as "Cabiria", "The Birth of a Nation", various versions of the stories of Cleopatra and Salome, "The Fall of the Romanoffs", etc., etc., have been directly based upon his- torical facts. And in a great many cases the authors of photoplays have found their material in the pages of history. "The Red Lantern", in which Nazimova starred, was adapted from a book that was written upon [16] an episode in Chinese history. "Wagon Tracks", a recent Wm. S. Hart production, was a fictional version of the history of the Santa Fe trail. Some of Rex Beach's Alaskan productions are largely developed from authentic happenings. Mrs. Gertrude Atherton has written vol- umes of fiction that deals with early California. And so on. History is merely the record of Life, and it is there- fore a valuable source of plot ideas. Biography. 38. Biography, the branch of history that centers its attention upon the individual, upon the protagonist, upon the hero of the play, is perhaps of even greater value to the creative writer, especially to him who places char- acterization above mere plot action. We have consid- ered the classical heroes whose personalities suggest stories, but it will not do to ignore the Ulysses and the Hercules and the Aeneas of today and of yesterday. The American writer I mentioned earlier in the discussion has written at least one hundred stories about one histor- ical character. In some of them he calls his hero defi- nitely by his historical name Francois* Villon. In others Villon is altered to something else, but the essential char- acter of the man remains the same. Those who know the rollicking, lovable, unscrupulous, thieving bard of Paris, either from his poems or from the brief, half- mythical account that comes down to us, will appreciate his value as a fiction character. The successful stage play, "If I Were King," by Justin Huntly McCarthy, which will soon be produced as a photoplay, is also developed around the character of Villon, and Robert Louis Steven- son made use of the same personality in one or two short stories, notably the well-known "Lodging for a Night". 39. Such widely differing characters as Edgar Allen Poe, Abraham Lincoln, Moliere, George Sand, Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, Nietzsche, and Beet- hoven have inspired authors to create drama and fiction. In many cases the creative writer has called his character definitely by his historical name, as in John Drinkwater's recent play entitled "Abraham Lincoln". More often, however, the historical personage has been the source of 17] the story and has been almost concealed in the fictional form. 40. Picking up a volume about one of my own par- ticular heroes, Sir Richard Burton, I find in it sufficient plot material for a dozen interesting books and photo- plays. William Marion Reedy says of Burton: "He would have been a worthy companion of Raleigh, half- pirate and half-poet. He was the last of the English 'gentlemen adventurers'. He was a Gipsy genius, and he had upon him such an urging restlessness as no man ever had, save perhaps the Wandering Jew. His life was an epic of thought, of investigation and of adventure. The track of his wanderings traced the globe." He searched for the sources of the Nile, he explored un- known Africa, he lived among the Mormons in Salt Lake City, he wrote one of the most remarkable poems in the language, he translated Latin, Greek, Sanscrit, and a dozen other languages, he made a pilgrimage to Mecca in disguise at the risk of his life, he explored in South America, Egypt and India. In short, he lived a strenuous, adventurous, exciting life, eager in the pursuit of knowl- edge and passionate in his desire for accomplishment. 41. Burton and Villon, and the other characters of history, are suggestive of plots to the alert and imagina- tive writer. Kipling has used Burton in several stories; his wife's biography of him has a new and fascinating story on every page. Art and Music. 42. In much the same way the works of art, music and imaginative literature are suggestive of ideas worthy of development. Almost any painting that contains other qualities than mere decoration, such as, for example, "Sacred and Profane Love," will suggest a story to the writer with a keen story sense. I mention "Sacred and Profane Love" because very recently I read an extraor- dinary photoplay of the spectacular type that was devel- oped from the idea expressed by the painter. One form of stage art that is especially suggestive of photoplay plots is the pantomime, which is having a renaissance at pres- ent. The various harlequinades, based upon the old but [18] ever interesting story of Pierrot, Harlequin, and Colum- bine, are an excellent source of story material. As a kind of sub-plot, such a harlequinade was employed by Lois Weber, in her brilliant photoplay "For Husbands Only". The Daily Press. 43. As history is the record of the past, so is the daily press the record of today. It has been stated by an authority that each day's newspaper contains plot mate- rial which, if properly developed, would bring the author twenty thousands dollars in royalties. It requires very little reading of the press to indicate the truth of such a statement, for on every page there is the record of emo- tional conflict, of romance, of pathos, of comedy, of ambi- tion, success and failure all grist for the mill of the dramatist, to use in his interpretation of life. 44. To make an exhaustive and complete survey of the plot sources we have considered would require many volumes. In this space I have tried merely to indicate by suggestion and brief comment the chief classical and modern origins of plot ideas. An acquaintance with the works mentioned will give the writer an abundant store of plot material. 45. But it should be remembered that the value of these sources depends upon the ability of the creator to employ them. It should also be remembered that they are merely pages from the Book of Life, and that a thor- ough study of Life is the best plot source of all. The sources we have considered are of value because they illustrate the kinds of experience that have appealed to the spectators and readers of the past; they are artistic, well-selected patterns, designs, and suggestions which may be made beautiful and effective by imaginative treatment. Familiar Material. 46. Too often writers seek plots far afield when they would have better success by studying the people and the life of the street in which they live. Some one has said that every little village contains everything, in some de- gree, that the whole world contains. This is certainly true of plot material. No matter where you live, no matter [19] who your acquaintances may be, there are stories in the life that goes on about you. Do not make the error of 'writing Fifth Avenue stories if you have lived your life in a small town, for there is a better drama in the house next door than there is on Fifth Avenue. 47. A knowledge of literature, philosophy and art will broaden the outlook of a writer, and will prove help- ful in guiding him in his own creative efforts. But if he does not possess the warm human sympathy that comes of understanding, if he does not know Life as well as books about life, if he does not live, suffer and triumph with the people about him, he will fail to convey their emotions to the distant reader. The plot sources I have suggested have inspired and will continue to inspire creative writers, but one must also study diligently in the Book of Life of which all other books are only chapters. Conclusion. 48. In all history, in all human drama, in all legends and fables, we can trace the combinations of only thirty- six dramatic situations. Drama results from these com- binations. Next to a knowledge of Life, and a knowledge of the literature in which Life has been recorded, an acquaintance with the fundamental dramatic situation is of paramount importance. There is no time in this short space to take up this question, and here the reader should merely try to remember that in the vast panorama of life from the prehistoric myths to the latest product of the camera, the human drama has been the result of multi- farious combinations of thirty-six units. 49. Plots are everywhere, plots of all kinds, all shapes, all colors. Take your choice and set to work. Try to make your choice a good one, and then apply your- self to its development in such a way that the finished work will make a dramatic and pleasing appeal to your audience. [20] University of California SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 305 De Neve Drive - Parking Lot 17 Box 951388 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90095-1388 Return this material to the library from which it was borrowed. UCLAYRL/IL- Ui