"Mamet speak"
Mamet's style of writing dialogue, marked by a cynical, street-smart edge, precisely crafted for effect, is so distinctive that it has come to be called Mamet speak. Mamet has recognized an association of his edgy narrative style by noting his debt to Harold Pinter, to whom he dedicated Glengarry Glen Ross. He often uses italics and quotation marks to highlight particular words and to draw attention to his characters' frequent manipulation and deceitful use of language. His characters frequently interrupt one another, their sentences trail off unfinished, and their dialogue overlaps. Moreover, certain expressions and figures of speech are deliberately misrepresented to show that the character is not paying close attention to every detail of his dialogue (e.g., or so forth instead of and so forth). Mamet himself has criticized his (and other writers') tendency to write "pretty" at the expense of sound, logical plots.
When asked how he developed his style for writing dialogue, Mamet said, "In my family, in the days prior to television, we liked to while away the evenings by making ourselves miserable, based solely on our ability to speak the language viciously. That's probably where my ability was honed."
One instance of Mamet's dialogue style can be found in Glengarry Glen Ross, in which two down-on-their-luck real estate salesmen are considering stealing from their employer's office. George Aaronow and Dave Moss equivocate on the meaning of "talk" and "speak", turning language and meaning to deceptive purposes:
Moss No. What do you mean? Have I talked to him about this [Pause]Aaronow Yes. I mean are you actually talking about this, or are we just...Moss No, we're just...Aaronow We're just "talking" about it.Moss We're just speaking about it. [Pause] As an idea.Aaronow As an idea.Moss Yes.Aaronow We're not actually talking about it.Moss No.Aaronow Talking about it as a...Moss No.Aaronow As a robbery.Moss As a "robbery?" No.Mamet dedicated Glengarry Glen Ross to Harold Pinter, who was instrumental in its being first staged at the Royal National Theatre, (London) in 1983, and whom Mamet has acknowledged as an influence on its success, and on his other work.
References[edit]
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Mamet.Wikiquote has quotations related to: David Mamet
Mamet's style of writing dialogue, marked by a cynical, street-smart edge, precisely crafted for effect, is so distinctive that it has come to be called Mamet speak. Mamet has recognized an association of his edgy narrative style by noting his debt to Harold Pinter, to whom he dedicated Glengarry Glen Ross. He often uses italics and quotation marks to highlight particular words and to draw attention to his characters' frequent manipulation and deceitful use of language. His characters frequently interrupt one another, their sentences trail off unfinished, and their dialogue overlaps. Moreover, certain expressions and figures of speech are deliberately misrepresented to show that the character is not paying close attention to every detail of his dialogue (e.g., or so forth instead of and so forth). Mamet himself has criticized his (and other writers') tendency to write "pretty" at the expense of sound, logical plots.
When asked how he developed his style for writing dialogue, Mamet said, "In my family, in the days prior to television, we liked to while away the evenings by making ourselves miserable, based solely on our ability to speak the language viciously. That's probably where my ability was honed."
One instance of Mamet's dialogue style can be found in Glengarry Glen Ross, in which two down-on-their-luck real estate salesmen are considering stealing from their employer's office. George Aaronow and Dave Moss equivocate on the meaning of "talk" and "speak", turning language and meaning to deceptive purposes:
Moss No. What do you mean? Have I talked to him about this [Pause]Aaronow Yes. I mean are you actually talking about this, or are we just...Moss No, we're just...Aaronow We're just "talking" about it.Moss We're just speaking about it. [Pause] As an idea.Aaronow As an idea.Moss Yes.Aaronow We're not actually talking about it.Moss No.Aaronow Talking about it as a...Moss No.Aaronow As a robbery.Moss As a "robbery?" No.Mamet dedicated Glengarry Glen Ross to Harold Pinter, who was instrumental in its being first staged at the Royal National Theatre, (London) in 1983, and whom Mamet has acknowledged as an influence on its success, and on his other work.
References[edit]
- Josh Ferri, "Expletives, Awards and Star Power: Why Glengarry Glen Ross Sells as a Modern American Classic | Broadway Buzz", Broadway.com, 23 October 2012. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
- "David Mamet Biography (1947-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- Mamet, David (2006). "My Alma Mater". American Libraries: 44–46.
- "David Mamet Biography". FilmMakers Magazine. Retrieved2007-01-18.
- "David Mamet's 'Race' on Broadway: What did the critics think?". Los Angeles Times. 2009-12-07. Retrieved2009-12-09.
- Hetrick, Adam."David Mamet's 'The Anarchist', With Patti LuPone and Debra Winger, Will End Broadway Run Dec. 16"playbill.com, December 4, 2012
- Playbill.com
- "Blackbird (2015)". IMDb. November 24, 2013.
- "James Badge Dale Joins Cate Blanchett In David Mamet’s ‘Blackbird’". Deadline. November 24, 2013.
- Life magazine (Oct. 1987, V. 10 No. 11)
- Simpson, Janet (1992-03-16). "The Battle To Film Malcolm X". Time. Retrieved 2007-03-20.
- von Buchau, Stephanie. "Dr. Faustus". TheaterMania. Retrieved 2004-03-13.
- "CSPAN Video: The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture".
- Bachman, John. "Author Mamet to Newsmax: New Stories Deal With Brutality of War". Newsmax. Retrieved 2013-11-24.
- "David Mamet – Politics on The Huffington Post". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-03-11/news/why-i-am-no-longer-a-brain-dead-liberal
- Benn, Aluf (2012-01-13). "An interview with David Mamet on Israel and Zionism Israel News". Haaretz. Retrieved2013-10-18.
- "David Mamet," Freedom Watch with Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox Business Network, June 8, 2011.
- Gapper, John (2011-06-10). "Lunch with the FT: David Mamet". FT.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- "David Mamet launches tirade against 'antisemitism' of British writers", Vanessa Thorpe. The Guardian. June 12, 2011. Accessed June 12, 2011
- "A liberal recants". The Economist. June 16, 2011.
- Mamet, David (2012-11-01). "The final Obama/Romney showdown: A note to a stiff-necked people | Opinion". Jewish Journal. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- Arellano, Jennifer (2012-11-05). "David Mamet implores fellow Jews to vote for Mitt Romney | PopWatch | EW.com". Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
- Gun Laws and the Fools of Chelm. Mamet, David.Newsweek / The Daily Beast. 29 January 2013.
- A Companion to Twentieth-century American Drama, David Krasner, Blackwell Publishing, 2005, p. 410
- Mamet, David. Writing in Restaurants.
- Stephen Randall, ed. (2006). "David Mamet: April 1996, interviewed by Geoffrey Norman and John Rezek". The Playboy Interviews: The Directors. M Press. p. 276.
- "Landmarks," on Night Waves BBC Radio, March 3, 2005, accessed January 17, 2007.
- Arthur Holmberg, David Mamet and Male Friendship, Hardcover: 276 pages, Palgrave Macmillan (April 2, 2014), ISBN 978-1137305183.
Further reading
- David Mamet (2007-02-12). David Mamet: Bambi vs. Godzilla. Interview with Leonard Lopate. The Leonard Lopate Show. WNYC. New York. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
- Radavich, David. "Man among Men: David Mamet's Homosocial Order." American Drama 1:1 (Fall 1991): 46-60.
- Radavich, David. "Rabe, Mamet, Shepard, and Wilson: Mid-American Male Dramatists of the 1970s and '80s." The Midwest Quarterly XLVIII: 3 (Spring 2007): 342-58.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to David Mamet.Wikiquote has quotations related to: David Mamet
- David Mamet at the Internet Broadway Database
- David Mamet at the Internet Movie Database
- David Mamet at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Works by or about David Mamet in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Works by David Mamet at Open Library
- John Lahr (Spring 1997). "David Mamet, The Art of Theater No. 11". The Paris Review.
- Mamet: Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal' (Village Voice)
- David Mamet Bio at CBS – The Unit
- David Mamet's writings and cartoons on the Huffington Post
- Interview at salon.com
- "Prickly Ideals: encountering David Mamet’s new book", ArtsEditor.com, 2010
- Interview by Cathy Pryor in the London 'Independent on Sunday'
- David Mamet's Master Class Memo to the Writers of The Unit - Movieline
- David Mamet on the Playbill Vault
- David Mamet at Doollee