133 The Hidden Machinery - Discovering the Secrets of Fiction (with Margot Livesey)
The History of Literature
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Beginning Dramatically: Shakespeare's Approach to Storytelling
In this chapter, they discuss the concept of 'beginning dramatically' in storytelling, drawing examples from Shakespeare's plays like King Lear and Macbeth. They talk about how Shakespeare's first priority was to grab the audience's attention and entertain them before explaining the plot further. They also compare this approach to some contemporary novels that start with an intriguing sentence but quickly shift into exposition or backstory.
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