I kinda like it...It's a greek thing. But many since have used the device. Including our Mr. Mamut (the playwright) who is a now a Conservative.One of my favorite examples of breaking a proscenium is Mr. Bueller:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KFVLWX7e...
Writers either LOVE to do it or HATE to do it. Which do you think DK chooses? Love or hate?

Heavy too.

Cast iron cooking goes back to the Gold rush...it doesn't get any better!

But...few today appreciate the value of the very first 'non stick' utensil.

I have a kitchen worth of cast iron that Shrug has made claim to...and rightly so, since it is obvious that she knows the value of this cookware.

It is hard to be using a cast iron skillet, and not picturing your wagon train settled for the night, and the venison and vegetables sizzling for your supper....

P.S. It just occurred to me that John Galt would be carrying a cast iron skillet all his way to the Gulch...and then some.

it's brittle

It is entirely reasonable that the speech be only 15 minutes, even if it took much longer in the book. No one expects a book to be done in two hours or so.

I'm still lost on all the cast iron stuff.

Gods hairy proscenium. Okay that just doesn't sound right.

And I thought it was "pedantic"! ;-)

That is one of my favorite words.

Damn, how did you know!

That would be "proscenium".

Wow, I'm good at this, huh?

"Mr. Obama, uh, I mean Mr. Thompson, will not be speaking to you tonight..."

I recalled one series, "Sea Hunt" (1958-62), in which the narration was absolutely essential. Series star Lloyd Bridges spent most of every episode underwater, where dialog was impossible, and the divers' pantomime would be impossible for a layperson/landlubber to understand.

I know of two TV series in which the narration seems to enhance the action In other words, an explanation. They are "Burn Notice" and "Dexter." Others that do that either make you feel as if the writer(s) think you're dumb or they're no clever enough to let the action speak for itself.

They are. And that's actually a breach of tradecraft. A professional author once told me at a writer's conference: "Resist the Urge to Explain."

The various soliloquys seem to be a device letting the audience in to the thoughts of the characters.

You're right. That was part of Greek theater. The Europeans abandoned that idea in Shakespeare's day, however.

Didn't the ancient Greeks establish this?

Where the 'chorus' would keep the audience up to speed with the motives of the characters....

Don't hesitate to correct me, if I labeled, or told it, wrong!

The more you understand Rand, the more you understand the speech and why it needed to be long. It's late enough in the book, so that it can be a good test for how well one is grasping her concepts throughout.

Point for you because I had to look up a word.
I won't say which one.

Hi Rich,
No. Thank you! It is most appreciated. :)
O.A.

Breaking the proscenium. I see.

Actually, those long and involved explanations of the motives and emotions of her characters was another example of breaking the proscenium.

Hi O.A.. Thank you.

Hello richrobinson,
In a nutshell... In a word... Excellent!
Saved to my HD!
Regards,
O.A.

I look at the speech like an actor stepping out of the role and talking directly to the audience. It's a device used in plays, and in a way, A.R. uses it also.