EURO ST 10 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Epic Theatre, Distancing Effect, Max Horkheimer
Document Summary
Art (cultural productions) can also serve ideological functions, i. e. , mask the real way that (economic) power works in a society. It turns painful economic realities into mere entertainment. Brecht"s form of theater ( epic theater ), with its alienation effects, wants us to think about how ideology functions. But only if it is politically aware and makes us understand economic interests. On the other hand, that"s certainly how he is presented by brecht. Ambiguity and ambivalence about galileo and his role. Sure, galileo embraced science, knowing that it would opposed authority . Recall, the specter of giordano bruno"s fate must have haunted all thinkers of the (early) 17th century. Galileo didn"t want to suffer this fate. In brecht"s version, he was very much a man of the flesh. What might that say about the relationship between religion and science in a more complicated way. They become mirror images of each other.
