DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN THE NARRATIVE AND DRAMATIC MODES CAN BEST BE UNDERSTOOD BY EMPHASIZING WHAT IT MEANS TO THINK AND CREATE DRAMATICALLY. ALTHOUGH BOOKS (WHICH ARE READ) AND PLAYS (WHICH ARE SEEN) TREAT PLOT, CHARACTER, AND SETTING SIMILARLY, CONVENTIONS THAT PARTICULARLY DISTINGUISH THEATRICAL FORM ARE--(1) THE AUTHENTICATING REALITY OF THE ACTOR'S PHYSICAL PRESENCE AND FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW, (2) THE PUBLIC INTERACTION OF PLAYWRIGHT, ACTORS, AND AUDIENCE, (3) AUDIENCE PERSPECTIVE, (4) DRAMATIC TIME, AND (5) SUCH DRAMATIC CONVENTIONS AS THE DISGUISE OR MASK, THE SUSTAINED MOTIF OF EITHER PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL COMBAT, THE PHYSICAL CONVENTIONS OF SET AND COSTUME, EXPOSITION AND DESCRIPTION THROUGH DIALOGUE, AND SUCH STRUCTURAL DEVICES AS THE CURTAIN. THE GENRES OF TRAGEDY AND COMEDY CAN BEST BE DISTINGUISHED FROM EACH OTHER BY THEIR INTENTION. THE TRAGIC PLOT IS CHARACTERIZED PRIMARILY BY THE PROTAGONIST'S INCREASING ISOLATION FROM SOCIETY, WHEREAS IN THE COMIC PLOT THE PROTAGONIST IS INCREASINGLY INTEGRATED WITH SOCIETY OR A NEW SOCIETY IS CREATED TO ACCOMMODATE HIS GOALS. IN THE DRAMATIC TREATMENT OF THE CONFLICT OF IDEAS, SHAW AND IBSEN HAVE CREATED AN AMALGAM OF THE REALISTIC AND ROMANTIC, OF THE REAL AND THE SYMBOLIC, WHICH HAS PROFOUNDLY AFFECTED THE MODERN THEATRE. SEE ALSO ED 010 129 THROUGH ED 010 160, ED 010 803 THROUGH ED 010 832, TE 000 195 THROUGH TE 000 220, AND TE 000 227 THROUGH TE 000 249. (JB)