"When the drama attains a characterization which makes the play a revelation of human conduct and a dialogue which characterizes yet pleases for itself, we reach dramatic literature"

George P. Baker elucidates the essence of true dramatic literature by emphasizing two interwoven aspects: characterization that elevates the play into a revelation of human conduct, and dialogue that not only serves to further that characterization but delights for its own intrinsic craft. At the heart of his statement lies the assertion that drama transcends mere entertainment or storytelling when it zeroes in on profound explorations of the human experience. What distinguishes dramatic literature from simple staged events is its capacity to expose, probe, and illuminate the countless dimensions of human behavior, motivations, and frailties. Through meticulous characterization, each figure on stage comes alive, becoming more than a vessel for plot or a spokesperson for ideas, they transform into windows through which audiences perceive the truths and contradictions of humanity itself.

Baker’s emphasis on dialogue is equally consequential. Dialogue is not relegated to a utilitarian role of advancing the narrative or conveying exposition; instead, it becomes an artful construct, a medium through which personality, conflict, emotion, and subtext emerge organically. When dialogue achieves such artistry, where each line both reveals character and engages the audience aesthetically, the play rises beyond mere script and performance to occupy the realm of literature. At that point, audiences find themselves not only observing the lives and choices of others, but also reflecting on their own nature, beliefs, and actions.

The union of these two qualities, depth of characterization and the pleasure of dialogue, marks the transformation of a dramatic work into literature. Such plays endure because they do more than dramatize events; they invite reflection upon what it is to be human. The audience finds pleasure not just in the unfolding story, but in the very language and artistry with which the story is told. Baker’s insight captures drama’s highest calling: to reveal, through living characters and resonant speech, the intricate patterns of human conduct in ways that are at once illuminating, moving, and pleasurable.