Bertolt Brecht 1898-1956

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Bertolt Brecht1898-1956
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• Importance of Brechts historical situation.
• Served briefly in World War One
• Displaced by World War II and directly witnessed
  the destructive force of war, the ruin of Europe.
• Saw the potential for Marxism to become a just
  system for the proletariat, workers, common
  people.
• What is Brechtian
• The Epic Theater
• The Alienation Effect (Verfremdungseffekt)

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• The theater of realism seems outmoded and not
  useful in Brechts time. A kind of theater
  needed to inspire action, not complacency.
  Gradually he fashioned his theory of the Epic
  Theater.
• Brecht sought a kind of theater where the viewers
  were as knowledgeable about theater as they might
  be about sports. Where one would be too excited
  and disturbed to go for a relaxing post-theater
  dinner.
• One becomes conscious that one is in a theater
  and not immersed in a reality. This inspires
  thought and a kind of active assessment of the
  play.

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• For Mother Courage and Her Children, this kind of
  alienation effect might be the music and songs.
  In an original production put on by Brecht, when
  songs began, a string of banners would be lowered
  over the stage, upon which were depicted trumpets
  and drums and musical notes.

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Many of the songs from Brechts plays, which he
wrote with composer Kurt Weil, have become famous

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v6orDcL0zt34
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vKnHRTmZGS6gfeature
  related
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vNLMp50iK0G0
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vouAI4cKschgfeature
  related
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vaPG9GcykPIY
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v1dDs_N3kGQkfeature
  related

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Mother Courage and Her Children (Act 1)

• There are some connections to Candide in that the
  most serious elements are treated with flippancy
  and humor. Underneath, of course, a serious look
  at war, its costs, the connections with commerce,
  and finally this message that the small fry,
  the small businesses, are not the ones to profit
  from war.
• The story of the chicken-breasted recruit who
  gets away (after a few drinks).
• The assertion that war is the great organizing
  principle of civilization--it takes a war before
  you get decent lists and records.
• The torturous paths of paternity for Mother
  Courages children.
• The brutal reality of war in Ma Cs introductory
  song.

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More Black Humor from Act 1

• Courage tries to scare the soldiers off with her
  system of crosses to mark death. Ends up,
  prophetically, marking all of her own children
  for death. Thinks they can be saved by being
  smart (Elif) or honest (Swiss Cheese) or quiet
  (Katrin).
• Back to humor. The Sergeant thinks it unlikely
  that he will die because he always stays in the
  rear. He also defends the Swedish troops by
  denying that there is a lot of religion in the
  Swedish military camp (page 337).
• Finally what allows Elif to be spirited away is
  the distraction of Ma C. by the potential for a
  sale. Is this the first instance in the play of
  her exchanging her children for profit?

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Act 2 Commerce and War, Hunger and Scarcity,
Heroism and Knavery

• Act 2 begins with the entertaining bartering for
  the capon. Or instance, this particular capon
  was adept at math. And the way Courage questions
  the freshness of the Beef, (if he was
  slaughtered only yesterday, he must have stunk
  on the hoof.)
• We realize that, on some level, the generals
  dinners are more important than his soldiers
  needs. (see Joseph Hellers Catch 22 for a more
  modern version of this.
• And that in this religious war, it is bound to
  be the peasants who most greatly suffer. See
  Elifs act of heroism.

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Act 3 More Commerce, a Change of Fortune, a
Protestant Turns Catholic, Honesty doesnt Pay.

• The Ordnance Officer selling the ammunition to
  buy the Generals liquor.
• Yvette also our for survival in this time of war.
  (Sickness?)
• The Chaplains advice to the Cook Dont get
  sentimental.
• Again, the Chaplain--I almost let out a prayer.
• The main tension caused by Courages wavering
  about the sale of her wagon. Is this another
  point where her concern for profit has cost her a
  child?