As one of the most influential figures in theatre, Bertolt Brecht has stamped his legacy in the world theatre. His search for anew kind of theatre made his theatre a modern avant-garde whichhas left its traces in postmodern theatres. This paper tries toinvestigate Brecht’s epic theatre as a modern avant-garde and itsinfluence in postmodern theatre. His epic theatre was in fact a revoltagainst the main stream modern theatre in which Brecht openlydeclares that theatre should be ‘political.’ Brecht’s theatre was soinfluential that his theatre becomes reference to the postmoderntheatre.
Key words: epic theatre, Bertolt Brecht, avant-garde, postmodern, propaganda Bertolt Brecht was a modern man. He grew as a dramatist in aworld where modern ideas …show more content…
He agreedwith Marx that it was the capitalist that created the ‘decadent’ society.However, after World War II, although he shared the same basic Marxistideology with the communist party, he often had disagreements withthem. Brecht, says Willet, “was not the kind of figure who fitted all thateasy into any grouping” (Brecht, 1992, xi). As an artist, therefore, Brechtdid not serve any political “party.” His aesthetics was anti-Aristoteliandramatic theatre, but it also “clashed with the (communist) aesthetics ofsocial realism” (Hubner, 1992, p. 139). He went to a different cuttingedge and developed his aesthetics with continuous experiments.
Brecht’s theatre--which is known as epic-theatre--, was clearly anavant-garde. In fact it has been considered as one of the most importantand influential modern avant-garde theatres. His aesthetics has continuedto influence theatre until the present day, when the school of thought has shifted from modernism to postmodernism. In this paper I shall examinehow Brecht’s epic theatre influences postmodern theatres. To do so, firstof all, I will review how Brecht’s epic theatre is considered a modernavant-garde. Then, I shall examine the ideas in his epic theatre thatinitiate the birth of postmodern …show more content…
Integration propaganda is “aself-producing propaganda that seeks to obtain stable behavior, to adaptthe individual to his everyday life, to reshape his thoughts and behavior interms of permanent social setting” (Ellul in Szanto, 1978, p. 74). “Bourgeoisrealism” belongs to this kind of propaganda.Brecht’s theatre, of course, falls into Szanto’s third category. Thiscategory, in his opinion, “is the most difficult theatre to create” (p. 75).About this kind of theatre he further says:It is a theatre which attempts interactively and always clearly, the basic elements which comprisea confused social or historical situation. This is the science ofdialectic materialism, …, brought to dramatic presenttion” (p. 75).Using Szanto’s view point we can finally see what Brecht’s theatreis about. We can now trace epic theatre’s basic philosophy (content) andits form.Using Guba& Lincoln’s frame (in Denzin& Lincoln, 1994, pp.105-117), we can say that as a Marxian theatre Brecht’s epic theatreviews reality as follows:Ontology Historical realism—virtual reality shaped by social,political, cultural, economic … value; crystallized overtime.Epistemology knowledge (of reality) is value mediated and hence
Key words: epic theatre, Bertolt Brecht, avant-garde, postmodern, propaganda Bertolt Brecht was a modern man. He grew as a dramatist in aworld where modern ideas …show more content…
He agreedwith Marx that it was the capitalist that created the ‘decadent’ society.However, after World War II, although he shared the same basic Marxistideology with the communist party, he often had disagreements withthem. Brecht, says Willet, “was not the kind of figure who fitted all thateasy into any grouping” (Brecht, 1992, xi). As an artist, therefore, Brechtdid not serve any political “party.” His aesthetics was anti-Aristoteliandramatic theatre, but it also “clashed with the (communist) aesthetics ofsocial realism” (Hubner, 1992, p. 139). He went to a different cuttingedge and developed his aesthetics with continuous experiments.
Brecht’s theatre--which is known as epic-theatre--, was clearly anavant-garde. In fact it has been considered as one of the most importantand influential modern avant-garde theatres. His aesthetics has continuedto influence theatre until the present day, when the school of thought has shifted from modernism to postmodernism. In this paper I shall examinehow Brecht’s epic theatre influences postmodern theatres. To do so, firstof all, I will review how Brecht’s epic theatre is considered a modernavant-garde. Then, I shall examine the ideas in his epic theatre thatinitiate the birth of postmodern …show more content…
Integration propaganda is “aself-producing propaganda that seeks to obtain stable behavior, to adaptthe individual to his everyday life, to reshape his thoughts and behavior interms of permanent social setting” (Ellul in Szanto, 1978, p. 74). “Bourgeoisrealism” belongs to this kind of propaganda.Brecht’s theatre, of course, falls into Szanto’s third category. Thiscategory, in his opinion, “is the most difficult theatre to create” (p. 75).About this kind of theatre he further says:It is a theatre which attempts interactively and always clearly, the basic elements which comprisea confused social or historical situation. This is the science ofdialectic materialism, …, brought to dramatic presenttion” (p. 75).Using Szanto’s view point we can finally see what Brecht’s theatreis about. We can now trace epic theatre’s basic philosophy (content) andits form.Using Guba& Lincoln’s frame (in Denzin& Lincoln, 1994, pp.105-117), we can say that as a Marxian theatre Brecht’s epic theatreviews reality as follows:Ontology Historical realism—virtual reality shaped by social,political, cultural, economic … value; crystallized overtime.Epistemology knowledge (of reality) is value mediated and hence