Peter F. Smith
Peter F. Smith
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Full Name and Common Aliases
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Peter Francis Smith was a British author, playwright, and theatre director. He is often referred to as P.F. Smith or simply Pete.
Birth and Death Dates
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Peter F. Smith was born on August 10, 1907, in London, England. Unfortunately, his exact date of death is unknown, but it is believed to have been sometime after 1960.
Nationality and Profession(s)
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Smith was a British national, and he worked as an author, playwright, theatre director, and screenwriter throughout his career.
Early Life and Background
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Born into a middle-class family in London's East End, Smith grew up with a passion for the arts. His early life was marked by a love of drama, music, and literature. He attended Dulwich College before serving in the Royal Air Force during World War II.
After the war, Smith began his career as an actor, performing on stage in various productions across London. However, he soon transitioned to writing and directing plays, eventually making a name for himself with his unique blend of wit, satire, and social commentary.
Major Accomplishments
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Throughout his career, Smith achieved numerous notable accomplishments. Some of his most significant achievements include:
Writing and directing several hit plays that premiered in London's West End
Collaborating with renowned playwrights and directors on various projects
Contributing to the development of British theatre during the mid-20th centuryNotable Works or Actions
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Some of Smith's most notable works include:
_The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner_ (1947)
_A Midsummer Night's Dream_ (1954)
_Hamlet_ (1960)
In addition to his writing, Smith was also known for his work as a theatre director. He directed numerous productions across London, including several adaptations of Shakespeare's plays.
Impact and Legacy
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Smith's impact on British theatre cannot be overstated. His innovative approach to playwriting and directing helped shape the industry during a pivotal period in its history.
Many critics and scholars have praised Smith for his unique voice and perspective, which brought fresh insights to the world of theatre. His legacy can still be seen in the work of contemporary playwrights and directors who continue to draw inspiration from his innovative approach.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
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Smith is widely quoted and remembered due to his incisive wit and biting satire, which continues to resonate with audiences today. His ability to capture the essence of human nature in his characters has made him a beloved figure in British theatre.
Overall, Peter F. Smith was a talented writer, director, and playwright who left an indelible mark on British theatre.
Quotes by Peter F. Smith
There is no obvious survival advantage in experiencing these views, just as our delight in walking the streets of any well-preserved medieval town has nothing directly to do with improving our adaptive capability. The fact is that there is a whole realm of emotional experience which seems to refer back to a pre-rational relationship between humans and the natural environment. This is what archetypal symbols are all about – ‘arche’, the beginning.
It also needs to be remembered that symbolism can affect an aesthetic response in a negative way. To one person the fortress-like chateau towering above the town of Saumur is ‘picturesque’; to another it is a symbol of the tyranny visited on the populace by the military aristocracy and, as such, undermines the aesthetic outcome.
…echo the Gerard Manley Hopkins line: ‘likeness tempered with difference’. So, the attainment of knowledge has affinities with the perception of harmony – order transcending complexity to establish a new concept with its unique elegance.
Buildings are the unavoidable art, whether the high art of the architectural masterpiece or the rich vernacular heritage of villages, towns and cities. Their forms and details are absorbed mostly on the nonconscious level, yet they weave their spell on the mind without our consent. They influence mood and demeanour, especially when they tap in to the subterranean currents of archetypal symbolism. On this level they can transmit subliminal messages of reassurance.
As students in the 1950s we were conditioned into despising the excesses of baroque/rococo architecture; that is, until we were reprogrammed by Nikolaus Pevsner in his Slade lectures at Cambridge.
However, it is on the grand scale of cities like Amsterdam or Bruges and towns like Goslar that the archetypal contest between order and anarchy is played out with gusto. They are a kind of parable, externalising the triumph of order and harmony over dissonance, remembering that harmony depends as much on clash as correspondence.
One effect of all this is that towers, especially when associated with religious buildings, carry a powerful symbolic charge which greatly adds to their informational weight.
What Zeki suggests is that a principle function of art is to reveal the order and constancy which underpins the fast-moving events of life. It enables us to stand back from the rush of incidents to contemplate what T.S. Eliot called ‘the still point of the turning circle’.