THE WRITER
AT WORK
"If the scene is about what the scene is about, you're in deep <shit>."
TEXT VS. SUBTEXT
The Text is the sensory surface of a work of art. It is what is said and done. It is the visible tip of the iceberg.
The Subtext is the life under that surface. It is the thoughts and feelings known and unknown, hidden by behavior. It is the immense mass floating beneath the water.
TEXT
SUBTEXT
Desire
Fear
Secret
Lie
The Scanner
FIG 4.0 // X-RAY
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Just tired."
"I AM BROKEN."
"YOU'RE LYING."
"HELP ME."
Move Prism to Reveal Subtext
The Surface
Polite, civilized, indirect. "I'm fine."
The Truth
Raw, primal, direct. "I am broken."
Forces of Antagonism
INNER
Conflict within the self. Mind vs. Body. Emotion vs. Intellect. The conscious vs. the unconscious.
PERSONAL
Conflict with others. Family, friends, lovers. The intimacy of relationship brings the deepest pain.
EXTRA-PERSONAL
Conflict with the world. Society, institutions, nature, time, death. The forces beyond our control.
Hills Like White Elephants
Author: Ernest Hemingway // The Operation
The Text
A man and a woman wait for a train in Spain. They drink beer. They look at the hills. They talk about "it".
"It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It's not really an operation at all."
The Subtext
They are discussing an abortion. He wants her to have it; she is hesitant. The relationship is dying. The "white elephant" is the unborn child—a precious gift or a burdensome possession?