Postmodern Brecht: A Re-Presentation

by Elizabeth Wright

In this radical and deliberately controversial re-reading of Brecht, first published in 1989, Elizabeth Wright takes a new view of the playwright, giving us a more ‘Brechtian’ reading than so far achieved and making his work historically relevant here and now. The author discusses in detail Brecht’s principle theories and concepts in the light of poststructuralist theory, and reassess the aesthetics and politics with regard to Marxist critics of his own day. Wright includes a re-reading of Brecht’s early works, which presents them in relation to a postmodern theatre, and gives critical analyses of the work of Pina Bausch, Robert Wilson, and Heiner Müller, who use the techniques of performance theatre, showing how they deconstruct Brecht’s distinction between illusion and reality and point to a postmodern understanding of their dialectical relation.

154 pages, Hardcover

First published February 13, 1989

Reviews

[Sencer Turunç · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brecht, kapitalist toplumun kendini tanıması ve değişmesi için yazmıştır. Bu sabit temelleri olan zorlu bir toplumdur. Deneyimlerini faşizm ve savaşta kazanmış, saf bir iyimserlikle zar zor ulaşılabilecek, devrimci romantizmiyle ise asla ulaşılamayacak bir toplumdur bu. (Grishausen, 1981)

[Anas Ben Sabbouh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book for those who want to understand Brecht.