Poetics (Butcher translation, full text)
by Aristotle · Project Gutenberg
The earliest surviving treatise on dramatic construction and the origin of the whole with a beginning, middle and end, plus the complication/unravelling split that later act models formalise. Covers plot unity, reversal, recognition and the ordering of incidents in about forty pages.
More resources on Three-Act Structure
Aaron Sorkin Teaches Screenwriting
Master dialogue like Sorkin! Learn his screenwriting secrets for crafting compelling conversations that captivate your audience.
Storytelling in the New Hollywood: Understanding Classical Narrative Technique
A film scholar tests the three-act model against ten Hollywood successes including Tootsie, Alien and Groundhog Day, concludes it fails to describe them, and proposes four roughly equal parts: setup, complicating action, development, climax and epilogue.
Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting
The 1979 book that introduced the three-act paradigm to screenwriting, mapping a 120-page script onto setup, confrontation and resolution with plot points near pages 25 and 85. This revised edition adds worksheets and updated film breakdowns.
scriptmag.com
Script Magazine is an online publication for screenwriters featuring craft-focused articles, interviews with industry professionals, and practical resources like sample scripts and market news to help you write, develop, and pitch your projects.