The Lost Thing
April 18th, 2004by Shaun Tan
ISBN: 0734403887
Technically speaking, I suppose this is a children’s picture book. That is the section of the store where I found it (and Tan’s excellent The Red Tree) but I think that has as much to do with the need to pigeonhole books as anything else.
The illustrations contain a fascinating level of detail. Each page is a collage, using old engineering and physics textbook pages, oil paint, acrylic paint, even bottlecaps. One could spend hours discovering small touches — like the ad for a “mobile visual technician” for whom “No plumbing too hard to draw!” or the curious whisps of smoke appearing on nearly every page. Tan works with a consistent color scheme, using aged, yellowed paper, a muted red, and many grays. As an object alone, the book is both a sturdy and beautiful thing. Kids (who are old enough) would likely be spellbound by all the gears, tubing, and pipes as they try and figure out what goes where, and why.
And “what goes where, why” is really what this story is about. Set in a creepy, controlling, near-future-yet-retro environment, it is the story of noticing a lost thing and figuring out what to do about it. Sort of an object lesson in doing what is convenient versus doing what is right. Unlike many lessons delivered in children’s books, this one comes across without heavy-handedness. One of Tan’s gifts is his ability to create an understanding of potentially difficult topics that are generally thought of as adult (depression, hope, alienation) but are, I think, quite appropriate for children.
Highly recommended — particularly for adults.
June 18th, 2004 at 12:32 am
Hey all sounds cool, i just read the book yesterady.
you think (or anyone else too) think an main issue is way in which ‘Government Ministries and Agencies’ exert their control…? any what type of things would they need to control?
June 23rd, 2004 at 1:08 am
I’ve read this picture book for at least 5 times now and i still don’t understand bits of it. I feel there is some kind of mystery towards this book and i want to know what it is (if there are any) Or anything that i might be missing out on. I am currently studying this book for my end of year drama solo performance and it would be great if someone or anyone who would like to kindly fill me in about this book because this is important to me and anyone is welcome to mail me at:
azn_instinct69@hotmail.com regarding to the book…
thanx…
July 6th, 2004 at 11:37 pm
Hi, alike the post by another drama student, I am also interested in the hidden/underlying message(s) that I’m sure ‘The lost Thing’ has…could Shaun Tan be implying something about human decency in the future, or is this book about something else?
If anyone has an idea or opinion, could they email me at: uno__who@hotmail.com
thankyou
July 13th, 2004 at 8:22 pm
hey
im also thinking of using the lost thing as the stimulus for my end of year solo and it would be really great if anyone could email any insites and thoughts on the picture book. if the main issue is like someone said “ways in which government ministries and agencies exert their control” how is that so and how does it relate to the book itself? Also some feed back on the idea that a scientific discovery was manipulated and the impact this is having on hummanity in realation to the book would be great too. Any ideas for the actual solo would be pretty sweet as well but i really would just like to hear peoles opinions about the book and its deepth. thanks heaps. pineapple_table@hotmail.com
July 17th, 2004 at 3:15 am
hey im doin the lost thing for my end of yr solo and im having trouble with it, but ive looked alot of info up on it but i cant work outthe underlying messgaes fully. is it how this “lost thing” is in a world where everything is so controlled, yet this is not? i sunno, if anyone can help me just add me to msn or give us an email. any help would be largely appreciated. superunknown33@hotmail.com
July 17th, 2004 at 9:18 am
I’m also doing this for my solo…I bought a copy of the book and have been going over it, and I’m fairly sure that I understand it all now. Its very, very hard to explain it all though. There are bits where you look at it and think “WHAT THE HELL?!” but once you understand, it makes so much more sense.
So i’ll give you a few hints, just to get your mind rolling:
The thing to remember is that the book is being told from Shaun’s point of view. Hence, the illustrations are a way to see Shaun’s interpretation of the world.
With that said, you should know that the Thing is like a metaphor. It represents Shaun’s problems, a facet of his personallity that he is having trouble coming to terms with.
Shaun also may be a paranoid schizophrenic. I’m not too sure about this bit yet. But the fact that the articles and ads throughout the book indicate that most of, if not all of, the world is controlled by the government is a pretty good indication of it.
The book is about overcoming problems, and learning how to deal with them. The other guys in my class reckon that the book is about conformity; it is to an extent, but once you look past that, the reason for all of Shaun Tan’s little “clues” in the book becomes pretty clear.
Goddamn I wish I knew how to fit this all into 7 minutes…
e-mail me if you want some clarification…
July 18th, 2004 at 1:59 am
Hey, I was just reading through the article and was so excited to find that there were comments posted by other students doing this for their end of year solo. Like many of you, I have also found it quite difficult to comprehend the entirity of the book, but I talked it over with my teacher and arrived upon a few ideas. As to ‘ways in which government ministries and agencies exert their control’, I thought of relating it back to current Australian political issues, e.g. the Senator Alston debacle, children overboard issue, American-Australian free trade agreement, and the ways in which the government can lie and cover up the truth, yet is accepted by the Australian public. For the ’scientific discovery’ I was thinking of something like the machine, if any of you know it, in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ where chicken’s eggs are placed on a cushion and are accepted / rejected based on their goodness. In this case people place their ‘odds and ends’ on the cushion and they are accepted or rejected. This shows the almost crazy extent to which government ministries and agencies exert their control. I know it all sounds a littlke absurd, but you must keep in mind the performance style is Theatre of the Absurd. I’d love to hear other people’s ideas / feedback or if you’d like to hear some of my other crazy ideas please email me (mulcsac@yahoo.com); I have a copy of the notes on this particular prescribed structure that were discussed at a meeting between drama teachers and VCAA people as to their ideas for this tricky performance piece.
July 18th, 2004 at 2:00 am
Hey, I was just reading through the article and was so excited to find that there were comments posted by other students doing this for their end of year solo. Like many of you, I have also found it quite difficult to comprehend the entirity of the book, but I talked it over with my teacher and arrived upon a few ideas. As to ‘ways in which government ministries and agencies exert their control’, I thought of relating it back to current Australian political issues, e.g. the Senator Alston debacle, children overboard issue, American-Australian free trade agreement, and the ways in which the government can lie and cover up the truth, yet is accepted by the Australian public. For the ’scientific discovery’ I was thinking of something like the machine, if any of you know it, in ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ where chicken’s eggs are placed on a cushion and are accepted / rejected based on their goodness. In this case people place their ‘odds and ends’ on the cushion and they are accepted or rejected. This shows the almost crazy extent to which government ministries and agencies exert their control. I know it all sounds a littlke absurd, but you must keep in mind the performance style is Theatre of the Absurd. I’d love to hear other people’s ideas / feedback or if you’d like to hear some of my other crazy ideas please email me (mulcsac@yahoo.com); I have a copy of the notes on this particular prescribed structure that were discussed at a meeting between drama teachers and VCAA people as to their ideas for this tricky performance piece.
July 18th, 2004 at 7:00 am
hey guys….this is an awesome solo to do b/c it leaves heaps up for the imagination….but dont make it too plitical, it should be a fun solo, and Tan uses subtlety to get his message accross, so be suble, thats how you will get the top marks
cheers!
-M
July 19th, 2004 at 4:17 am
Hey Everyone doing Drama ‘04! I’m thinking of doing ‘The Lost Thing’ for my solo as well (not sure yet, just doing some preliminary work), and am also having trouble trying to make sense of it all! I only just got hold of a copy of the book, so I’ll keep studying it, but if anyone has any pointers on anything to do with it and its hidden messages, useful websites etc, I would love to hear from them!! Email me at lizzie_979@hotmail.com Ta guys, and good luck with everything, whether you do this one or not. (How HARD is it to choose?!!?! There’s so many fantastic structures to choose from!!!).
Thanks, Liz : )
July 19th, 2004 at 5:35 am
Hey its Liz again, this is just a message for Sean. I just tried to send you an email and it said the message could not be delivered or something….I dunno if it is my email or yours, but if you see this, could you please send me those notes from the meeting between drama teachers and the VCAA. Thanks so much, coz I live in the country, and it’s hard for me or my teacher to get to anything like that. If you (or anyone else reading this) have similar notes on other prescribed structures, i would love yo hear from you. Thanks again. Liz. (lizzie_979@hotmail.com)
July 20th, 2004 at 2:22 am
Hey Liz, I think I may have written my email incorrectly on the message above. It is in fact mulcsac@yahoo.com.au (I forget the .au). I have collected a few more notes relating to the solo, so if anyone would like to email me please feel free. I’m glad to see that a few more people have joined in the discussion, though my hugely long posting (which I accidently posted twice) seems to have taken up a lot of the screen, sorry! Let’s hope we all do well come performance
July 25th, 2004 at 7:35 pm
Hey guys. I am also doing the solo at the end of the year on Shaun. I just think that the underlying themes in the book are about conformity, or rather non-conformity. It is clear that Shaun is different to the rest of society, not because he has a disease or anything, but because he has the will not to conform, whether he realises it or not.
The lost thing is an attempt to make the reader realise that the society that Shaun lives in is so completely caught up in themselves, that no one is even able to notice it, even though it is huge!
I dunno, i just wanted to post my opinions, but I guess the book is all about interpretation.
July 26th, 2004 at 1:50 am
youre cool
July 27th, 2004 at 7:56 am
uh to “james” what the helllll are you thinking??? this is a kids book, never overlook that, the assesors are not lookin for your deep interpretation of shaun, they want to see the society that he lives in.
if you guys want a real interpretation, email me, i promise, im not a paranoid skitzo….
cheers!
-Emily, a paraoid yr. 12 drama soloist.
flyon_thewall86@hotmail.com
July 27th, 2004 at 10:01 pm
Reading all the stuff above i thought, what the heck i should probably add a bit as to how i interperate the book too. I’m agreeing heavily with Sean, infact so much it’s nearly scary. It’s the way that Shaun sees the world, maybe not the way he is in the world. I know none of you would’ve, but don’t over look all the sutulties either!? The book is more than a story it is his/Shaun’s world, and all the clues to his world are there. Note the iscolation of the people on the beach and the clues in the framing of the pictures (which i believe come from Shaun Tan’s dads physics books)
But mainly i don’t think there is a huge underpinning message in the book, it is absurd and that is why absurd is a performance style.
July 28th, 2004 at 1:11 am
There is a strong message in the book which about existence itself, and what place we take in the world, which is what absurdist theatre is all about. The book is much more than a little kids book, it has deeper themes. You can get whatever you want out of this book. Granted, a 5 year old boy could read it, but so can a mature adult, because of the deeper meanings, which is why the VCAA chose this book.
July 30th, 2004 at 10:39 pm
In regards to James’ comments on The Lost Thing: I strongly doubt Shaun is a paranoid schizophrenic. I do think that the ‘lost thing’ is a metaphor, but not a metaphor for Shaun’s own problems. I see it a metaphor for the misfits in society that the Federal Department of Odds and Ends (a metaphor for the government itself) is so keen to ’sweepus underum carpeta’. The book highlights the power-hungry control of the government, therefore it is largely about conformity, which I consider to be a key theme.
Neverthless, ‘The Lost Thing’ is, essentially, a children’s book, yet adults and teenagers can read a lot more into it. I think the book does have a strong political message; but the solo shouldn’t be about lecturing the assessors on politics, instead subtly hinting at politics whilst having fun. That’s why I am thinking of doing a cabaret number for dot point two, showing how politics is all just ’song and dance’.
Anyway, I hope I don’t sound too preachy, but I do think that James has taken it a bit too far on the paranoid schizophrenia diagnosis.
August 1st, 2004 at 7:28 am
Roger that Sean.
August 2nd, 2004 at 7:52 am
Hi everyone, another VCe student here with an interpretation. Add me to your list if u wanna chat about some ideas or email me cause i have alot and i think it would be really good to share ideas and keep open minds etc etc about the book. anyways i wont go into some thesis but just email\add me to share ideas. James
james_3163@hotmail.com
August 4th, 2004 at 9:35 pm
Hey guys, this is great that i’ve stumbled on all these ideas, i’ve pretty much interpreted the same themes and ideas from the book as most of you. However, its time to get down to reality- how are we supposed to fit all of this in 7 minutes? and more-so, how can we put all of these themes (confirmity,beaurocracy,goverment control, science&technological advances etc)into a scientific experiment, infaltration of the Federal Dept. of Odds& Ends, and ways the ‘gov. ministeries &agencies’ exert control….??? I have been getting so caught up in the fascinating ideas and interpreting all of the hidden messages that I have found myself getting further and further away from the prescribed structure….HELP! If anyone has any original ideas, or can help me get back on track PLEASE e-mail me (elise_dewar@hotmail.com) Thanks guys!!!!
August 6th, 2004 at 8:40 am
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhh
i am so freakin out about this solo thing guys!!!!!
i just dont know where to begin!!!! there is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much stuff!!!!!!
help me out!!!!
but ne ways
-Emily
August 10th, 2004 at 8:18 am
I’m so glad I found all of you! I’m training to be a teacher and am planning to use this book for a year 11 English class. The reason I’ve chosen the book is the representation of reality through another lens. Does anyone remember as a child looking at the world through a piece of crystal, all the different facets twisted the reality into different perspectives and you looked at something that you ‘knew’ was directly in front of you but suddenly it appeared to be up at the top corner of the room you were in? That was the best when I was a child, and I’ve continues my entire life seeking out new ways to look at the ordinary. Imagine that Tan’s world is our reality. Where would the protagonist be? What city in Australia? America? China? What is with our compulsion to be so ordered? The social contract that exists between us all, how we manage to live together with unspoken agreements? (This can be exemplified by how we shift ourselves when walking on a sidewalk so we don’t bump into that person walking and programming his phone:) What habits has the social contract incurred upon us? Are these habits good? Do we notice them even? How many times have we realized something so simple and clear, but it took someone pointing it out for us to see it? Wouldn’t it be exhausting to be ‘aware’ if everything? Suspension of disbelief, how we watch crappy movies without too much question, even though we know a good one from a bad one, we still enjoy the routine, the habit, the unspoken ‘as usual’. Hmmm…I really loved this book. I like the way it reminded to keep my eyes open. I would like to comment on Sean’s posting of July 18th…you seem so sure about the issue of government control…hmmmm…I’m thinking that perhaps Tan is commenting on the everydayness of bureaucracy, how it takes the passive participation of citizens to perpetuate the humdrum, everyday, drone-like habits that have become institutionalised with our (majority) acceptance. Yes, looking at comparisons with government are good…but where are the liars in this book that you compare with Howard, re: the free trade agreement? Perhaps have a think about the concept of democracy/the free market as a pacifier. We have so many benefits of living in a free country like Australia, the U.S., Canada, but rarely do we as citizens make much of an effort to really get into things political. And really, is the system designed for us to scream “Wait a minute! What are we doing?” We have our daily habits in a protected society and most of us cease to see the little things that make this a very strange world indeed…or believe we can change things.
Thanks for the chance to think out loud. I can’t wait to work on my lessons with this book. By the way, what is a ’solo’…an independent project? Tell me about it, someone, please and thanks!
August 11th, 2004 at 6:41 pm
Lindsay, you think you know it all…hmmmm…you sound a bit arrogant towards Sean, maybe you should lay off and shut your face!!!! Stop bagging people and you should stand the mirror and take a look at yourself!! By the way your ideas are a bit farfetched, and i think Sean is right about the author, and your are entirely wrong!!
August 11th, 2004 at 10:33 pm
Lindsay, thanks for your insightful comments. I hope you don’t think that I find the book overzealously political, because I don’t. I think that Tan is very subtle in his political comments, but there is indeed a strong political message running through the book. I think you’re spot on with the book’s comments on beaurocracy, which itself is linked to politics. There is certainly a sense of passivity amongst the citizens in this world and an unobjected acceptance of the government. Indeed, we do live in a ‘free country’, Australia, but we seldom make an effort to explore things political, nor do we sufficiently question what the government is doing. The point I was making with the Howard children overboard, War on Iraq, Senator Alston debacle, etc, etc, is not that he is a liar (though he does have a tendency to twist the truth), but that despite all his mistakes and flaws he is still our Prime Minister, accepted by the Australian people. It is this unwitting acceptance that creates the link between our country and that of the book. If you have any questions about the political nature of the book, you need only to look at the back cover. There are references to a postcard being “cleared by relevant authority”, a “state sponsered thought of the day”, “the Federal Department of Censorship”, the “inspector’s comments” that the book has “no perceptable threat to the of day to day existence… [and is] safe for public consumption”. Though there is a strong political message in the book, the drama solo isn’t meant to be overbaringly political; it is meant to be a bit fun because the performance style is Theatre of the Absurd, with witty poltical comments. I hope you can see where I’m coming from, and I hope your Year 11 English class enjoy this book as much as I’m sure we all have!
August 12th, 2004 at 7:56 pm
i was wondering maybe its all a dream to shaun and he is having these dreams as a sign that he is different from everyone else in society and he does not belong and that the government agences want to know so they could help him. well thats what i thought
August 12th, 2004 at 8:26 pm
thats a good idea
August 15th, 2004 at 2:20 am
That’s an interesting idea: that the government ministies want to help him. Do you mean that in a bad way, i.e. they want to help/make him conform, or in a good way, i.e. that they’re trying to help him to get back to reality/out of his dream and/or help him to feel as though he belongs in society? I always thought of them as being ‘bad’, but is the control they exert actually ‘good’/ kind?
August 16th, 2004 at 9:13 pm
matthew you have given me a good idea thank
you
August 16th, 2004 at 9:31 pm
I’m happy to have you use this post as a place to discuss your work.
Different opinions are welcome, but nastiness toward others is not. I’ve removed rececent comments that were left only as insults. Keep it civil, folks, I don’t want to have to close down this comments thread.
August 19th, 2004 at 10:17 pm
hi as all u ppl r, i’m doing my solo on the character of shaun. it’s a pretty hard book to interpret but once u do there is alot of stuff to research. so if ur struggling there i suggest u go to http://www.theatrelinks.com and use the search tool to look for 2004 vce solo and then go to the resoures page with links to relevent sites.
cya
wAdE-oS**
August 22nd, 2004 at 12:42 am
well guys, i think ive got a grip on my solo monologue. at least the themes i want represented in it. my scientific dicovery is a chip that they pu in everyone when they are born, but shauns chip is faulty, and thats why he is so different. wat i am having diffculty on howeva is stagecraft. how are we suppose to go on a walk with pete without walking up and down the stage for 7 minutes. anyhelp would be great, thanks for all ur help by the way, it been useful. best of luck
August 22nd, 2004 at 1:16 am
Hi guys, I was just browsing through the book (for the upteen millionth time) last night, when I came across something very interesting. Turn to the page where Shaun is handed the card with the arrow on it. (There is a close-up of the card centre page.) Look above the text where there is a boarder of cut-outs from Tan’s father’s physics books. One of the cut-outs concerns vacuums. It says something to the effect of: ‘A perfect vacuum is a completely empty space. This has not and never will be achieved’. Look closely and you will notice that very feintly written, presumably be the pencil of Tan, is the phrase: ‘What about the Howard government?’. Hmmm…
August 22nd, 2004 at 2:18 am
Sean, good spotting!that is awesome! has anyone else noticed that the arrow on the card pops up frequently in the book? there is one on the 3rd pade where shaun flips the bottle cap into the bag,one where he looks out onto the beach, one on the road when he is talking to pete on the roofand of course one on the card and on the button. i realise there are ALOT of arrows in the book, but the ones ive mentioned here all look the same. is it possible they are pointing somewhere?
August 25th, 2004 at 3:57 am
argghhh im doing shaun for my solo performance and im having soooo much trouble with it..if anyone would like to help me that would be much appriciated :)email mee!!!
August 29th, 2004 at 1:59 am
to emily, i am one of the countless students completing units 3+4 drama this year. Well with D-day fast approachig for our solo’s i started to freak out as well. However my teacher gave me some really good advice for people struggling for ideas on any focal points of their performance. Get your hands on as much footage/video’s from other absurdist theatre and watch. I warn you it is initially confusing to actually analyse half the material presented but bear with it and the ideas will fire like synapses. feel free to email me for any other drama related correspondance. good luck.
August 29th, 2004 at 2:02 am
I apologise for not actually including the address…
sorry the email was: mushyboy23@hotmail.com.
my bad.
August 29th, 2004 at 5:58 am
hey guys
i am so freaked out by this, i have about 6 mins, but most of my class have like 20!!!!
ah well, what can ya do
i chose to do a thing hunt to contrast sean with the govt ministries and agencies….but my teaher hated it, and shes an examiner….so now i need somehting new…..my dot point three is….well, a secret, because i dont know yet….i like the chip idea….but seems not symbolic enough….
i have added some of you too my msn… so if u have me on ur msn please talk! im so stressed, and have hit a brick wall as far as “arty fartyness” goes….
thanks guys
good luck….
Emily (drama nerd)
September 5th, 2004 at 2:31 am
Andrew, I love your idea about the chip implanted in everyone’s brain. If you’re still planning on using that idea, I STRONGLY recommend you read the book ‘The Stepford Wives’ by Ira Levin. It’s very short, so not too time-consuming, but well worth it. It is abosolutely FANTASTIC and really highlights the issues of conformity, breaking out of the norm, control, secrecy, deaf ears, etc., etc. Plus, it discusses your idea of using mechanics as a means of exerting control. I don’t want to reveal too much; you really MUST read it.
September 5th, 2004 at 8:45 am
hi everyone, for ages i have merely read all the comments but i thought that i would finally write. to all you guys who are stressing, stress less. i have very little of my solo and none of it is done, i have just been playing with little things that i like and then documenting them, and then going back and seeing where i can fit them in. i found that if you write a short synopsis (which our teacher told us to do) which involves all DE, TC and the different dot points and how you will address them, it makes it a lot clearer when you are panning out your piece. how are all of you approaching theatre of absurd, i am finding it really challenging but heaps of fun too, its adds a different kinda spin on non naturalism dont you think?!
September 6th, 2004 at 9:18 pm
hi guys i have come up with a few ideas for my solo and i think that the government agencies can control pete by using a mind machine which can control his mind to see things that arent really there and the advertisment in the paper about the article about the department of odds and ends was in his mind aswell just to trick him into falling into the trap where the government agencies can be cruel and mean to him because he is different from everybody else and the government agencies want him to leave and never come back but pete is strong and admits he is different so basically the government agencies can exert control over kids that dont belong by playing with there minds good luck everybody
September 6th, 2004 at 9:20 pm
sorry whenever i said pete i meant shaun lol god im stupid
September 7th, 2004 at 6:44 am
hey guys, ive figured out that i wanna use the theme of “prisoner of society” to be the main focus of my monologue, and im still gonna use the chip idea, cause i think i could make it really symbollic. im still having problems with my stage craft ne any help would be awesome. cheers
September 7th, 2004 at 6:40 pm
Hi guys, I was just wondering if any of your classses were hosting work-in-progress or showcase evenings because I’d love to come along and see some of your performances.
September 9th, 2004 at 3:54 am
ey, Sean……..Viva Le Revolution 2004!
Arite peeps, first thing i wanna say is listen to Sean cause he noes wat he is talkin about fo sho. Second thing is, Shaun is freakin hard to do so make sure that you talk and discuss theories and ideas with each other. Don’t steal other people’s material tho. Dats da cheapest thing u could do. Remember that even tho it is a solo, you can still help each other out! If anyone has any cool theories they wanna share i’d be interested in hearing it. For now, peace.
September 12th, 2004 at 4:07 am
I’ve got heaps of great ideas from all this guys, thanks alot! especially Lindsay. I’ve got lots of the same ideas you guys have. i know its coming close to performance but reading ‘1984′ by George Orwell was a great help for putting some stuff together. also, have a listen to ‘fitter,happier’ by radiohead for some more inspiration, deppressing stuff sure but GREAT stimulus. good luck all!
September 12th, 2004 at 5:27 am
heyys…im currentli studying this book for english and im also doin an assignment on it ryt at this moment..i find this book realli mysterious..^^…there are so many things in it.
my class and i try figuring out what each bottle cap meant and all…its hard at times..but some of us came up with great ideas. but thing is that i realli wanna hear or read what shaun has to say about all the details in the book~
all all together its a great bOok~ keep it up shuan~
September 12th, 2004 at 6:41 pm
Alex, there is a production of ‘1984′ currently screening at Beaumaris Theatre Company. It might be a good idea to have a look. I can’t remember the phone no. for bookings, but if you search through Google you should find it with no problems or just email me and I’ll try to find it for you. Best of luck in your solo!
September 14th, 2004 at 8:10 am
G’Day! Like all of the rest of you, I’m doing Shaun as well. I’ve just finished my performance and now am tweaking little bits. I found that it really helped me to, as Wil said, write a bit about what you know about the book, what you’re conveying, and write something in the vein of a “story” about each dotpoint. If you’re stuck, something as simple as this can really help with figuring out where you’re at and what you need to work on. Also, getting other people to read the book and give you some ideas isnt such a bad idea, either. I found that fitting theatre of absurd into the whole thing was a bit difficult though…if you’re like me on this point, try watching some of Samuel Beckett’s stuff, it gives you a good understanding on what Absurdism is all about. Also, Justin’s Drama and Theatre Links is an awesome site. Good luck to all of you.
September 15th, 2004 at 12:23 am
Guys, I just got told of an excellent site: http://www.thelostthing.com/the_lost_thing.html
Have a look! It is amazing
October 3rd, 2004 at 1:12 am
BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR SOLO EVERYONE!
BREAK A LEG!!!
October 7th, 2004 at 11:55 pm
IVE GOT ABSOLUTLING NOTHING AND ITS IN TO WEEKS SOMEBODY HELP ME OUT PLEAS !!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 10th, 2004 at 12:09 am
Chris, you sound like you’re in trouble. What ideas have you already got?
October 11th, 2004 at 9:01 pm
nothing
October 12th, 2004 at 10:58 pm
Hmmm…. Nothing at all???
October 24th, 2004 at 9:02 pm
its over thank god for that
January 17th, 2005 at 7:24 am
perhaps its just a wicked book