Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956)

1. Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956)

2. Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956) Interest in film, esp. Chaplin and slap stick

3. Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956) Interest in film, esp. Chaplin and slap stick Dramaturgin Berlin

4. Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956) Interest in film, esp. Chaplin and slap stick Dramaturgin Berlin Dramaturg: researcher, scholar; but with eye towards production

5. Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956) Interest in film, esp. Chaplin and slap stick Dramaturgin Berlin Dramaturg: researcher, scholar; but with eye towards production 1933-45: exile in Denmark and US

6. Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956) Interest in film, esp. Chaplin and slap stick Dramaturgin Berlin Dramaturg: researcher, scholar; but with eye towards production 1933-45: exile in Denmark and US Collaborates with Fritz Lang in Hollywood on film, Hangman also Die

7. Bertolt Brecht (1898 – 1956) Interest in film, esp. Chaplin and slap stick Dramaturgin Berlin Dramaturg: researcher, scholar; but with eye towards production 1933-45: exile in Denmark and US Collaborates with Fritz Lang in Hollywood on film, Hangman also Die HUAC, returns to Europe and settles in East Germany

8. Jungle of Cities Agassiz Players, Harvard, 1967

9. Jungle of Cities Agassiz Players, Harvard, 1967 The Crimson, August 18, 1967: “Even in theory the set is out of place. A jungle gym may remind one of the jungle, but it is misguided to try to cage the scenes of a highly dialectic play into once central playing area.”

10. Jungle of Cities Agassiz Players, Harvard, 1967 The Crimson, August 18, 1967: “Even in theory the set is out of place. A jungle gym may remind one of the jungle, but it is misguided to try to cage the scenes of a highly dialectic play into once central playing area.” A.R.T. 1998 under Paul Woodruff

11. Prefatory remark: “It is the year 1912 in the city of Chicago: you are witnessing an inexplicable wrestling match, and the destruction of a family that has come from the prairie lands to the great city jungle. In observing this battle, do not rack your brains for motives: concern yourself with the human element, evaluate the antagonists’ fighting spirit impartially and concentrate your interest on the showdown.”

12. Prefatory remark: “It is the year 1912 in the city of Chicago: you are witnessing an inexplicable wrestling match, and the destruction of a family that has come from the prairie lands to the great city jungle. In observing this battle, do not rack your brains for motives: concern yourself with the human element, evaluate the antagonists’ fighting spirit impartially and concentrate your interest on the showdown.”

13. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906), set in the slaughterhouses of Chicago

14. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906), set in the slaughterhouses of Chicago City is difficult to navigate; things are connected, you just don’t know how

15. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906), set in the slaughterhouses of Chicago City is difficult to navigate; things are connected, you just don’t know how paranoia

16. Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906), set in the slaughterhouses of Chicago City is difficult to navigate; things are connected, you just don’t know how Paranoia Opening scene: Shlink has prearranged everything; someone is pulling the strings

17. Prefatory remark: “It is the year 1912 in the city of Chicago: you are witnessing an inexplicable wrestling match, and the destruction of a family that has come from the prairie lands to the great city jungle. In observing this battle, do not rack your brains for motives: concern yourself with the human element, evaluate the antagonists’ fighting spirit impartially and concentrate your interest on the showdown.”

18. Brecht’s emerging theory of theater Going to the theater like watching sports

19. Brecht’s emerging theory of theater Going to the theater like watching sports Not about motives, but moves in a game

20. Brecht’s emerging theory of theater Going to the theater like watching sports Not about motives, but moves in a game Do not empathize, but observe impartially

21. Paul Samson-Körner

22. Brecht and Körner

23. Brecht’s emerging theory of theater Going to the theater like watching sports Not about motives, but moves in a game Do not empathize, but observe impartially Brecht’s admiration for the “objective” fighting style of Boxer Paul Samson-Körner, to whom he devotes a (unfinished) play called “The Human Fighting Machine”

24. Prefatory remark: “It is the year 1912 in the city of Chicago: you are witnessing an inexplicable wrestling match, and the destruction of a family that has come from the prairie lands to the great city jungle. In observing this battle, do not rack your brains for motives: concern yourself with the human element, evaluate the antagonists’ fighting spirit impartially and concentrate your interest on the showdown.”

25. Prefatory remark: “It is the year 1912 in the city of Chicago: you are witnessing an inexplicable wrestling match, and the destruction of a family that has come from the prairie lands to the great city jungle. In observing this battle, do not rack your brains for motives: concern yourself with the human stakes, evaluate the antagonists’ fighting spirit impartially and concentrate your interest on the showdown.”

26. Brecht’s emerging theory of theater Not about motives, but moves in a game; not why, but how

27. Brecht: "The actions of people in our time, as they are presented in the newspapers, cannot be explained by means of common motives. More and more police reports appear without providing the motive of the perpetrator. For this reason you must not be surprised that in the new drama certain people act differently in certain situation than you would expect and that your hypotheses about their motives prove to be false. In this world and in this drama philosophers have an easier time than psychologists."

28. Brecht: "The actions of people in our time, as they are presented in the newspapers, cannot be explained by means of common motives. More and more police reports appear without providing the motive of the perpetrator. For this reason you must not be surprised that in the new drama certain people act differently in certain situation than you would expect and that your hypotheses about their motives prove to be false. In this world and in this drama philosophers have an easier time than psychologists."

29. Brecht’s emerging theory of theater Not about motives, but moves in a game: not why, but how Watch theater like a philosopher: develop hypotheses

30. Battle: "The basic idea of the play is that pure sportsmanship could involve two men in a battle which fundamentally transforms their economic situation and themselves beyond recognition."

31. Battle: "The basic idea of the play is that pure sportsmanship could involve two men in a battle which fundamentally transforms their economic situation and themselves beyond recognition."

32. Economic battle Buying books, buying ideas

33. Economic battle Buying books, buying ideas Extreme world of starvation and plenty, selling yourself, selling your body, dependency and domination

34. Economic battle Buying books, buying ideas Extreme world of starvation and plenty, selling yourself, selling your body, dependency and domination Shady business dealings

35. Economic battle Buying books, buying ideas Extreme world of starvation and plenty, selling yourself, selling your body, dependency and domination Shady business dealings Rough sexist and racist language; unvarnished

36. Economic speculation and gambling Shlink “I declare war on you. I’ll begin this fight by shaking the foundations of your life” (16)

37. Economic speculation and gambling Shlink “I declare war on you. I’ll begin this fight by shaking the foundations of your life” (16) Garga: “You’ve skinned me, just for the hell of it. And I’ll settle my accounts with you.” (25)

38. Economic speculation and gambling Shlink “I declare war on you. I’ll begin this fight by shaking the foundations of your life” (16) Garga: “You’ve skinned me, just for the hell of it. And I’ll settle my accounts with you.” (25) Manky: “It’s all part of the same business” (33)

39. Economic speculation and gambling Shlink “I declare war on you. I’ll begin this fight by shaking the foundations of your life” (16) Garga: “You’ve skinned me, just for the hell of it. And I’ll settle my accounts with you.” (25) Manky: “It’s all part of the same business” (33) Shlink: “I’ve gambled away all I had” (39)

40. Economic speculation and gambling Shlink “I declare war on you. I’ll begin this fight by shaking the foundations of your life” (16) Garga: “You’ve skinned me, just for the hell of it. And I’ll settle my accounts with you.” (25) Manky: “It’s all part of the same business” (33) Shlink: “I’ve gambled away all I had” (39) Garga: “Every time I look at your face I see you’re sizing me up. You’ve backed the wrong horse?” (49)

41. Shlink: “The losses are heavy, on both sides” (55)

42. Battle: "The basic idea of the play is that pure sportsmanship could involve two men in a battle which fundamentally transforms their economic situation and themselves beyond recognition."

43. Changes in character by changing places:

44. Changes in character by changing places: Garga takes over Shlink’s lumber business

45. Changes in character by changing places: Garga takes over Shlink’s lumber business Shlink supports Garga’s family

46. Changes in character by changing places: Garga takes over Shlink’s lumber business Shlink supports Garga’s family Garga goes to jail for Shlink

47. Changes in character by changing places: Garga takes over Shlink’s lumber business Shlink supports Garga’s family Garga goes to jail for Shlink Positions are more important than character

48. Do changes in economic circumstances change character? "When I read Marx's CapitalI understood my plays. Marx is the only spectator for my plays I’ve ever come across."

49. In this world and in this drama philosophers have an easier time than psychologists:

50. In this world and in this drama philosophers have an easier time than psychologists: Garga to Shlink: “You‘re staging a metaphysical battle” (50)