Brecht and Tragedy
Radicalism, Traditionalism, Eristics
Published on 16. December 2021
Book
Hardback
494 pages
978-1-108-48968-3 (ISBN)
Description
This wide-ranging, detailed and engaging study of Brecht's complex relationship with Greek tragedy and tragic tradition argues that this is fundamental for understanding his radicalism. Featuring an extensive discussion of The Antigone of Sophocles (1948) and further related works (the Antigone model book and the Small Organon for the Theatre), this monograph includes the first-ever publication of the complete set of colour photographs taken by Ruth Berlau. This is complemented by comparatist explorations of many of Brecht's own plays as his experiments with tragedy conceptualized as the 'big form'. The significance for Brecht of the Greek tragic tradition is positioned in relation to other formative influences on his work (Asian theatre, Naturalism, comedy, Schiller and Shakespeare). Brecht emerges as a theatre artist of enormous range and creativity, who has succeeded in re-shaping and re-energizing tragedy and has carved paths for its continued artistic and political relevance.
Reviews / Votes
'This is a book that should have been written long ago but it is really only someone like Revermann, with equal grasp of Greek tragedy, tragedy as a diachronic form (rather than a mode), and a deep knowledge of the history of modern European performance traditions, who could write it.' Fiona Macintosh, Director of The Archive of Performances of Greek and Roman Drama (APGRD), University of Oxford 'Martin Revermann's new book on Brecht deserves a place of honor at the very center of contemporary studies of twentieth-century German drama and more widely of twentieth-century European literature as a whole. It is extraordinary how fundamentally Revermann has been able to enrich and transform our understanding of Brecht, in part by discovering and fruitfully interpreting so much new material. I do not doubt that this book will turn out to be as much a milestone in Brecht studies as Revermann's work on Greek drama has been in that field.' Glenn W. Most, Professor of Greek Philology, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa '... a valuable, erudite, and inspiring study of Brecht and tragedy.' Silvija Jestrovic, European Association for the study of theatre and performance '... Brecht's utilitarian aims will inspire younger generations to continue studying and appreciating the great theater practitioner ... Recommended.' G. Divay, ChoiceMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 4 Plates, color; 36 Plates, black and white; 18 Halftones, black and white; 1 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 250 mm
Width: 175 mm
Thickness: 31 mm
Weight
1024 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-48968-3 (9781108489683)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
08/2022
Cambridge University Press
€83.00
Shipment within 15-20 days
E-Book
12/2021
Cambridge University Press
€31.49
Available for download
E-Book
12/2021
Cambridge University Press
€31.49
Available for download
Person
Martin Revermann is Professor in Classics and Theatre Studies at the University of Toronto. His publications include Comic Business: Theatricality, Dramatic Technique and Performance Contexts of Aristophanic Comedy (2006), Performance, Iconography, Reception: Studies in Honour of Oliver Taplin (2008, with P. Wilson), Beyond the Fifth Century: Interactions with Greek Tragedy from the Fourth Century BCE to the Middle Ages (2010, with I. Gildenhard), The Cambridge Companion to Greek Comedy (2014), A Cultural History of Theatre, vol. 1 (Antiquity) (2017) and Semiotics in Action (2019).
Content
Introduction: Radicalism, traditionalism, eristics; Part I. Point of contact 1948: 1. 1948 - A year of krisis; 2. Professing non-Aristotelianism: Brecht's Small Organon for the Theatre (1948); 3. Utilizing Greek tragedy: Brecht's The Antigone of Sophocles (1948); 4. The making of a model: Antigonemodell 1948; Part II. Positionings: 5. The other Other: Brecht's Asia; 6. Naturalism and related diseases; 7. Schiller: rival and inspiration; 8. Comedy and the comic; 9. Shakespeare and the road beyond tragedy; Part III. Comparatist explorations: 10. The tragedy of Mother Courage; 11. Brechtian chorality; 12. Threepenny Opera: the view from below; 13. Appellative anti-tragedy: gods, parody and closure in The Good Person of Sezuan; 14. Mahagonny: rise and fall of a dystopian city; 15. Anti-tragic justice: The Measure; 16. Heroism and its discontents I: the epic tragedy The Judith of Shimoda - expansion, commentary, metapoetics; 17. Heroism and its discontents II: Galileo, a tragic hero of science?; Conclusion: Brecht and tragedy - pulling threads together.