Brecht: The Dramatist

Ronald Gray explores the dramatist's interacting roles as a committed Marxist and an innovative craftsman.

Ronald Gray (Author)

9780521290036, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 25 June 1976

242 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.4 cm, 0.31 kg

In this 1976 introduction to Brecht's theatre and theory, Ronald Gray explores the dramatist's interacting roles as a committed Marxist seeking to influence audiences and as one of the most innovative craftsmen ever to work in the theatre. Dr Gray traces the development of Brecht's dramatic work in the context of his life and time and discussed its significance, devoting chapters to reappraisals of the major plays. Particular attention is paid to Brecht's dramatic theories and their relationship to Hegelian and Marxist philosophy, to the tradition of political theatre in Germany in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and to the influence Brecht had on English and American post-war drama. There are also detailed accounts of how many of the plays appeared in Brecht's own productions, and frequent references to actual performances in widely differing theatrical styles.

Prefaces
1. Marxism and political theatre
2. Early plays
3. Propagandist plays
4. Theories and practice
5. Exile and anti-Nazism
6. The Life of Galileo
7. Mother Courage
8. Puntila and The Caucasian Chalk Circle
10. Conclusion
11. Epilogue: Brecht and political theatre in America and Britain
References
Chronologies
Translations
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: plays & playwrights [DSG]