Playwriting and literature: Friends or rivals?Friends or rivals?

Abstract

A brief historical look at the "unclassifiable" in theater reveals roots stretching back to the very birth of literature and dramaturgy—in myth and ritual—where oral tradition and action were inseparable. However, the advent of the printing press individualized knowledge, and literature no longer required the spectacle; the two genres diverged, each asserting its own structure. Yet today, the label of "contemporary" leaves us confused: it seems that theatrical works are drawing ever closer to literature—to the word rather than the narrative—and moving further away from performance.