Playright "TOM STOPPARD'S CONTRIBUTIONS"

---

Request for Question Clarification by scriptor-ga on 03 Nov 2003 14:24 PST

Dear torrey2,

Could you please elaborate your question, so we know exactly what you want?

Regards,
Scriptor

---

Clarification of Question by torrey2-ga on 03 Nov 2003 20:17 PST

This is exactly the question given to me without any elaboration,
therefore I will leave that to your judgement to expand on it.
Thanks,

Dear torrey2-ga;

Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting
question. Since you don’t really have a clear picture of what the
question entails and invite us to interpret it in the way we feel is
pertinent, my interpretation follows the line of generalization and
suggests the question, “What are the works of Tom Stoppard?”

Having said that, here are the published works of playwright Tom
Stoppard:

PLAYS FOR THE STAGE
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/9432/stoppard/stage.html

ADAPTATIONS AND TRANSLATIONS FOR THE STAGE
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/9432/stoppard/adaptations.html

PLAYS FOR TELEVISION
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/9432/stoppard/television.html

PLAYS FOR RADIO
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/9432/stoppard/radio.html

SCREENPLAYS
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/9432/stoppard/screenplays.html

FICTION
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/9432/stoppard/fiction.html

COLLECTIONS
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/9432/stoppard/collections.html

Most of Stoppard’s works are available in paperback through:

FABER & FABER
http://www.faber.co.uk/books.cgi

Permission to recreate Stoppard’s work in an amateur perforomance can
be obtained from:

SAMUEL FRENCH THEATRE AND FILM BOOKSHOPS
http://www.samuelfrench.com/

You may contact Mr. Stoppard directly through his publisher:

c/o Peters, Fraser & Dunlop, Drury House, 34-43 Russell Street, London
WC2B 5HA, England.

I hope you find that my research exceeds your expectations. If you
have any questions about my research please post a clarification
request prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating
and your final comments and I look forward to working with you again
in the near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga



INFORMATION SOURCES

A TOM STOPPARD BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/9432/stoppard/

TRAVESTIES
http://www.sff.net/people/mberry/stoppard.htp

INTERNET MOVIE DATABASE
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001779/



SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:


TOM STOPPARD

---

Request for Answer Clarification by torrey2-ga on 04 Nov 2003 08:48 PST

To look for Stoppard's "works", this is listed all over the internet.
But, in
your opinion, and in the end, and through his work, WHAT did he
CONTRIBUTE to us to society etc. I would really appreciate an analysis
in that direction.
Thank you,

---

Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 04 Nov 2003 12:29 PST

In describing his own work, Tom Stoppard said, “"I burn with no
causes. I cannot say that I write with any social objectives. One
writes because one loves writing." In fact, when asked what his 1966
play “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” was about, he replied,
"It is about to make me a lot of money." It is clear that Stoppard was
not interested in making social contributions through his work and
actively resisted the perception that he was.

No one can accurately say then that Stoppard was on a “mission” to
intentionally provide some sort of tangible contribution to society
since the playwright himself aggressively denied it. If a contribution
was inadvertently made, it is probably measured only in terms of the
entertainment value of his works and in our interest in the voyeurism
of one man’s philosophical and sometimes frivolous moral and political
views of the world around him.

This article entitled FREEDOM AND MORALITY IN THE PLAYS OF TOM
STOPPARD describes to some extent the underlying messages of some of
Stoppards’ most notable works and attempts to analyze them for us
(albeit in a way in which the author himself would probably dispute):
http://www.libertyhaven.com/theoreticalorphilosophicalissues/philosophy/freedommorality.shtml

Regards;
tutuzdad-ga

I am very fond of Tom Stoppard, but I wouldn't say that he has
contributed anything in particular to society, beyond his witty and
entertaining writings, as mentioned above.

Think about this in terms of 'dramatic' or 'literary' contributions as
well - what has Stoppard brought to the twentieth/twenty-first
theatre? This is just off-the-cuff, but it seems to me that he is
unique in presenting politically and intellectually complex themes in
an extremely witty, engaging, light-hearted playful and watchable way.
OK, maybe not unique - but he does this very well.