Overview

Bertolt Brecht has been perceived as an ardent proponent of social change, an avid advocate of a just world that he defined in terms of socialism, and an adamant foe of capitalism for whose demise he hoped. He is justly regarded as one of the great innovators of theater theory and practice in the 20th century, and his influence has extended to Latin America and Asia. This reference book surveys Brecht's enormous contribution to world drama. Chapters by expert contributors assess his dramatic innovations, his poetry and prose, and topics of special interest to Brecht studies. With the centennial of his birth approaching in 1998, Bertolt Brecht's controversial reception in general and in the United States in particular, is coming into clearer focus. One of the great dramatists of the 20th century, Brecht has been viewed as an ardent proponent of social change, an avid advocate of a just world that he defined in terms of socialism, and an adamant foe of capitalism for whose demise he hoped. With the opening of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the political and economic milieu of Europe has changed drastically, and socialist writers are now being studied from a fresh perspective. This volume surveys and assesses Brecht's enormous contribution to the arts. Chapters by expert contributors explore his innovative dramatic theory and theatrical practice. Though best known for his contribution to the stage, Brecht also wrote poetry and prose fiction, and his poems and prose are examined in this work. Brecht's influence is also considered, and chapters examine topics of special interest, such as Brecht and film, the role of music in his works, feminist and Marxist approaches to his writings, the problem of translating Brecht into English, and the reception and appropriation of his plays and dramatic theory in various countries. While the chapters are historical in focus, the contributors also demonstrate the continuing relevance of Brecht in general and the Brechtian theater in particular in the 1990s.

Full Product Details

Author:   Siegfried Mews
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Imprint:   Greenwood Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.805kg
ISBN:  

9780313292668

ISBN 10:   0313292663
Pages:   448
Publication Date:   19 February 1997
Recommended Age:   From 7 to 17 years
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

"Prefatory Note Reference Guide to Frequently Cited Works Introduction by Siegfried Mews Theory and Practice of the Theater Alienation in Context: On the Theory and Practice of Brechtian Theater by Reinhold Grimm Brecht and the Problem of Influence by Christine Kiebuzinska Brecht's ""Lehrstucke"": A Laboratory for Epic and Dialectic Theater by Karl-Heinz Schoeps First Comes the Belly, then Morality by Herbert Knust Poetry and Prose Fiction Poetry, History, and Communication by Christiane Bohnert War-Poetry, Photo(epi)grammetry: Brecht's ""Kriegsfibel"", by Stefan Soldovieri Dialectics and Reader Response: Bertolt Brecht's Prose Cycles by Sabine Gross Film and Music Brecht and Film by Marc Silberman Brecht, New Waves, and Political Modernism in Cinema by Barton Byg Brecht contra Wagner: The Evolution of the Modern Music Theater by Vera Stegmann Brecht and His Musical Collaborators by Thomas R. Nadar Marxism and Feminism Brecht's Marxist Aesthetic by Douglas Kellner The Evolution of the Feminine Principle in Brecht's Work: An Overview by Laureen Nussbaum Translation, Reception, and Appropriation Negotiating Meanings: Thoughts on Brecht and Translation by Michael Morley Brecht and the American Theater by Carl Weber Brecht in Latin America: Theater Bearing Witness by Marina Pianca Brecht in Asia: New Agendas, National Traditions, and Critical Consciousness by Michael Bodden Bibliography Index"

Reviews

Mews's name is synonymous with Brecht research around the world. His 17 collaborators are also closely associated with the work of Brecht... From such a union one can expect the highest level of scholarship in easily accessible language. This expectation is fulfilled in every way.... Intended as a reference work for English readers, the book is intelligently organized into five sections--theory and practice of theater; poetry and prose; film and music; Marxism and feminism; and Brecht's acceptance in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia--a division that comes very close to covering all aspects of Brecht studies in a way that makes the book very useful to scholars, undergraduate students, and general readers alike. -Choice ?Mews's name is synonymous with Brecht research around the world. His 17 collaborators are also closely associated with the work of Brecht... From such a union one can expect the highest level of scholarship in easily accessible language. This expectation is fulfilled in every way.... Intended as a reference work for English readers, the book is intelligently organized into five sections--theory and practice of theater; poetry and prose; film and music; Marxism and feminism; and Brecht's acceptance in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia--a division that comes very close to covering all aspects of Brecht studies in a way that makes the book very useful to scholars, undergraduate students, and general readers alike.?-Choice

?Mews's name is synonymous with Brecht research around the world. His 17 collaborators are also closely associated with the work of Brecht... From such a union one can expect the highest level of scholarship in easily accessible language. This expectation is fulfilled in every way.... Intended as a reference work for English readers, the book is intelligently organized into five sections--theory and practice of theater; poetry and prose; film and music; Marxism and feminism; and Brecht's acceptance in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia--a division that comes very close to covering all aspects of Brecht studies in a way that makes the book very useful to scholars, undergraduate students, and general readers alike.?-Choice

Author Information

SIEGFRIED MEWS is Professor of German at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as editor of the monograph series University of North Carolina Studies in the Germanic Languages and Literatures and the quarterly South Atlantic Review. He has published widely on 19th- and 20th-century German and comparative literature, and his edition of Collected Essays on Bertolt Brecht appeared in 1989.

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