I read this thing once about how television changed writing because it gave rise to the widened availability of
changing time and place in plots - ie "Meanwhile, back in Egypt", and "Previously" etc.

Also that a lot of Shakespeare's stuff is so descriptive because they didn't tend to do the plays with backdrops - hence "Halt! Who goes there?" immediately portrays that it is night time, there is a guard, he is tense, and that someone is approaching.

I also understand that also the Victorians were quite keen on drawing the backdrop in explicit detail in a similar vein.

I didn't really buy it myself, but I thought it was an amusing distraction to consider when reading.
( Je suis un vagabond is an unfunny, up your own arse middle class knob, Thu 5 Jan 2012, 16:38, Reply)