THTRFLM 1T03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Bertolt Brecht, Distancing Effect, Social Realism
13 Mar 2017
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Bertolt brecht (1899-1956: german marxist, exiled in 1933, mother courage written in 1(cid:891)3(cid:891) after germany(cid:495)s invasion of poland. Realist vs. epic theatre: social realism: places moral ideals in the context of the real world, epic theatre: challenges the very conception of the real world, challenges ideology itself. The goals of epic theatre: show how social reality is constructed, to make the audience aware of the social consequences of that construction, to prompt the audience to take charge of the construction of their world. Brecht: (cid:498)art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it(cid:499) Epic theatre is dialectical: thesis + antithesis = synthesis, contrasting themes, causes, effects, moods, brecht provides no synthesis, forces viewers to reconcile opposites for themselves, more representative of contradictory nature of human reality. Anti-illusionistic, this is a play and therefore empower them to change their world. Juxtaposition of elements which comment on each other.
