Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic (Paperback)

~ (Author), John Willett (Translator) "Last Saturday night we sang his songs to the guitar as we swarmed down the Lech under the star-dusted sky: the song to Franziska, the..." (more)
Key Phrases: social gest, orthodox theatre, epic theatre, Mother Courage, Die Mutter, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This volume offers a major selection of Bertolt Brecht's groundbreaking critical writing. Here, arranged in chronological order, are essays from 1918 to 1956, in which Brecht explores his definition of the Epic Theatre and his theory of alienation-effects in directing, acting, and writing, and discusses, among other works, The Threepenny Opera, Mahagonny, Mother Courage, Puntila, and Galileo. Also included is "A Short Organum for the Theatre," Brecht's most complete exposition of his revolutionary philosophy of drama.

Translated and edited by John Willett, Brecht on Theater is essential to an understanding of one of the twentieth century's most influential dramatists.

Language Notes

Text: English, German (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang; 13th edition (January 1, 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809005425
• ISBN-13: 978-0809005420
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,831 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic, June 14, 2004

By	Mr DM Hall (England) - See all my reviews

There is only one way to describe this book: Paperback gold. I am currently studying A-Level theatre studies and I couldn't ask for a better resource on Brecht than this. However, I don't think it is necessary to be a drama student to read this book. Obviously some background knowledge of Brecht is helpful when tackling some of the essays that he has written but if you have any kind of interest in the theatre then have a go with this, it's very well edited and above all it's really quite an easy read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful Toolkit for Theorists and Dramatists, November 29, 2004

By	Myron Makewater "redcrosseknight" (Laramie) - See all my reviews

Brecht's theater is a blast, a genuine attempt to do something unique and productive with the heretofore conservative and corporate medium of the stage. It represents the first wave of revolution in European theater since the English stage was closed in the mid-17th century. Brecht successfully constructs an antifascist, anti-exploitative theater without being didactic or heavyhanded about it. (As I mentioned, it's actually a blast.) Much of his success came from surrounding himself with brilliant and dedicated people, and much of the success of this collection of Brecht's writings comes from Brecht's polishing his ideas in the tumbler of real practice with those people. For me, Brecht's passing comments on Aristotle and Shakespeare are worth the price of admission.

3.0 out of 5 stars A Behemoth of Brecht, March 11, 2008

By	K. Stanfa "Nostalgic Mungo" (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

First of all, it should be mentioned that there is no theatre untouched by Bertolt Brecht's theories and practices on theatre. In the 21st century, the way we look at theatre has its roots in Brecht's Aesthetic.

Now, this book is like the Brecht Bible essentially. Packed with all his views and opinions on the theatre, society and culture around theatre, acting, etc. Its big, dense and the type set is small enough to make you cry sometimes because he just never seems to stop.

I had a hard time following and understanding it, but that is no fault of this edition, but more so the long winded thoughts of Brecht. The core of his ideas and points are there, they just need to be searched for. Sometimes he makes it very clear what point he is trying to make, but sometimes you have to wade through his thoughts until he nails it for you. I think for having never read it before, I wasn't sure what was the most important part of some of the arguments he was making, but overall I know this is a valuable book to own. I think it requires guidance from someone who has studied Brecht a lot, which I fortunately had. There is a Brecht for Beginners I think out there that is a GOOD COMPANION to this book.