1918-1932 (Augsburg, Munich, Berlin), Section 2 Summary and Analysis

The Epic Theatre and its Difficulties - In this short essay, Brecht comments that the transformation of theatrical style (in terms of both writing and presentation) is a reflection of transformation in society as a whole. He repeats his belief that epic theatre "appeals less to the feelings than to the spectator's reason ..." but then goes on to say "it would be quite wrong to ... deny emotion to this kind of theatre. It would be much t he same thing as trying to deny emotion to modern science."

Last stage: Oedipus - Here Brecht comments on local productions of two Classical Greek plays based on the story of Oedipus. Brecht comments on how audiences for, and creators of, theatre are starting to look at theatre and its storytelling in a new way (reflecting...