Wow, that's a blow to the literary world.
Willow ,'Empty Places'
We're Literary 2: To Read Makes Our Speaking English Good
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Very sad news. That obituary is very strange though--the precis of Notes on Camp is dreadful, and as for 'In conversation, she comfortably used words such as "polyphonic" and "surreptitiously."'--um, who doesn't?
I haven't gotten a lot of use out of "dramaturg" recently.
I don't know that there's actually a need to use "polyphonic" when speaking, but "surreptitiously?" C'mon. Not big on "dramaturg" but I do like "anthropomorphize."
Well, if you're talking about music, "polyphonic" is pretty essential. Heck, I think it's on the label of the cheap keyboard I bought my son for Christmas.
I like "apotropaic" although I can never remember what it means. It just trips down the tongue and does a full somersault.
Yeah, well, when I talk about music, I tend to use words like "groovy" and "cool." I'm sure that ages me, but oh well.....
My BF used to BE a dramaturg, so that word does come up.
Could you explain it for me again? People explain it and explain it and I still can't hold on to the meaning. V. frustrating.
A dramaturg is (according to the BF) the advocate of the play in the production process. He supports the work with research--he might, for example, give the directors and designers a historic overview of the period they picked and how it might tie in with the play, or research unusual language in the piece. He also works with the writer--if there is one--on rewrites if needed, and on things like theme and structure. In a theatre with a full season, the Literary Manager will be choosing work for the next season (reading and critiquing hundreds of plays) and can't work on each play in rehearsal with the writer and director. In smaller theaters, one person does everything.
Ooh, I want that job.