A great production of a black comedy is better than a mediocre production of a comedy of errors.
Interpretation
Quality in art should be prioritized over mere attempts at humor.
Tom Stoppard's quote emphasizes the value of excellence in artistic production, particularly in the realm of comedy. It suggests that a well-crafted piece of black comedy, which may tackle darker themes with sophistication, is far superior to a poorly executed traditional comedy that relies on misunderstandings, known as a 'comedy of errors.' This underscores the idea that depth and quality should take precedence over superficial entertainment.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about what makes art truly impactful.
Love is - OK, it's 20 things, but it isn't 19. And I think that love reaches for something which is very, very deep in us and is very easily obscured, and is also very easily denied, which is the instinct towards the other person, other than toward the self.
A movie camera is like having someone you have a crush on watching you from afar - you pretend it's not there.
I once did a radio program with a famous materialist, that is to say a scientist who believed that absolutely everything was physical and that all emotions were reductive to little electrical impulses in your neurons. And I found that I didn't believe that. But what the emotions really are, I don't have an alternative theory.
One of the reasons why there are so many versions of Chekhov is that translations date in a way that the original doesn't; translations seem to be of their time.
A Chinaman of the T'ang Dynasty—and, by which definition, a philosopher—dreamed he was a butterfly, and from that moment he was never quite sure that he was not a butterfly dreaming it was a Chinese philosopher. Envy him; in his two-fold security.
Chekhov directors and Chekhov actors love working on his plays because there seems to be no end to what you can find out about the micro-narrative when you're investigating a text.
I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.
Starting in the middle of a musical sentence and moving in both directions at once.
I discover poetry when I was in elementary school and I was so fascinated by it. Because I realised if you get the right amount of syllables and the right amount of words, in the right rhyme scheme and you put it all together. You make words just bounce of a page.
I'm not a teacher; I'm not a historian. I'm trying to create a world for my characters.
Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.
My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.
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