Diss--Kiel--Univ., 1992. / Bibliogr. p. 211-229.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 32 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 32).

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Akademisk avhandling--Humanistiska fakulteten--Åbo, 1993. / Bibliogr. p. 218-233.

David Mamet is best known as a playwright, but he also has a thriving film career, both as screenwriter and as director. He has taken very seriously each of these roles, formulating theories that, he suggests, account for the creative choices he makes. Though Mamet sometimes contradicts himself, as when he suggests that viewers should have the satisfaction of constructing their own meaning of a work, but at the same time is devoted to montage, which works by juxtaposing images that lead to a single interpretation, he clearly sees the story as a critical avenue into the spectator's unconscious, where he hopes it will resonate with a truth that speaks directly to the individual. His films House of Games, Things Change, and Homicide clearly reflect his ideas on the best ways of conveying a story on film. In House of Games, Mamet draws on Bruno Bettelheim's theories to construct a fairy tale designed to act on adult viewers in the same way that fairy tales act on the child. In Things Change, he creates a fable that explores issues of friendship and honor within the milieu of the gangster genre. And in Homicide, Mamet uses the expectations viewers bring to the theatre in anticipation of a genre film to explore themes of loyalty and identity. In Oleanna, however, Mamet relies heavily on exposition and dialogue, rather than the visual elements that separate the film from drama, which renders the film the antithesis of his long-held philosophy of film narrative. Mamet's best film work, in House of Games and Homicide, has been innovative and thought-provoking, bringing depth to the new noir and redefining the cop film. His work in Oleanna, though it may prove to be an anomaly, may suggest a surrender of his principles of filmmaking or a reformulation of them to fit some new vision.

Although David Mamet is one of the most frequently studied of the postmodern American playwrights, scholarly criticism has neglected to examine the dynamic that is unique to his two-person plays, or duologues. This study explores various aspects of that duologic dynamic, concentrating on two of Mamet's two-person plays, A Life in the Theatre and Oleanna. The relationships in both plays are sustained by the characters' desire for power. As is typical of a Mametian play, power is obtained through language and dialogue. The fact that there are two characters in each of the plays serves to intensify the conflict and to remind the audience of the binary nature inherent in drama. / Department of English

Abstract The purpose of this study is to create a believable, multiple dimension character portrayal of Jack Lawson in David Mamet’s Race. Documentation of the process will include: an explanation of the acting technique and analysis used to create the backstory and portrayal of the character; insight into the background and beliefs of playwright, David Mamet; and a personal review of my growth and performance.

Uppsatsen utgår från frågan hur David Mamets pjäs Oleanna kunde tolkas så radikalt annorlunda vid sin  svenska premiär på Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern 1994 jämfört med vid sin urpremiär i New York ett drygt år tidigare. I USA uppfattades Oleanna allmänt som en varning för hämndlysten feminism och för faran med överdriven politisk korrekthet, och debatten kom att gälla huruvida denna varning var befogad eller bara reaktionär och dum. I Sverige sågs den tvärtom som en kritisk genomlysning av patriarkala strukturer. Uppsatsen söker svaret i en kombination av inom- och utomtextuella faktorer och innehåller därför både en receptionsanalytisk del och en närläsning av dramat. I receptionsanalysen jämförs pjäsens mottagande i USA och Sverige och sätts i relation till respektive samhälles offentliga samtal om feminism och identitetspolitik. Närläsningen fokuserar på Oleannas sällsynta förmåga att understödja motstridiga tolkningar. Denna analyseras med stöd av Torsten Petterssons teori om det litterära verkets böjlighet.

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