Women with Split Identity; A Literary Analysis based on the selected Female Portrayals in Literature

Female characters in Literature are portrayed through diverse dimensions such as heroic figures, objects of desire, rebellious individuals, icons of female liberation and individuals with fragmented identities. Those potrayals reflect the the feminine self which is surrounded by the awareness of her negated existence, stereotyped images of womanhood, the sense of lack of belonging, and repressed individuality. Thus the study focuses on analyzing the female literary portrayals like ‘Nora Helmer’in ‘The Dolls House’ by Henric Ibsen, ‘Adela’ in ‘The House of Bernarda Alba’ by Federico Garcia Lorca and ‘Emma Bovary’ in ‘Madame Bovary’ by Gustave Flaubert, ‘Maggie Tulliver’ in The Mill On the Floss by George Eliot and ‘Kattrin’ in Mother courage and Her children by Bertolt Brecht with the objective of bringing to the surface the socially determined fatal end and the symbolic disappearance of the feminine figure. In analyzing and elaborating the perspectives which are discussed within the research paper the theoretical perspectives of Simon de Beauvoir (‘The second sex’), Sigmund Freud, (‘Civilization and its Discontents’,)and Slavoj Zizek, (‘Looking Awry’) are referred with a thorough consideration. Consequently the woman figure whose identity is negated and given less vitality is identified as an inferior and vulnerable social figure within the existing social order and thus the literary characters like Adela, Nora, Emma, and Maggie Tulliver portray the antagonism between the social principle of ‘Repression’ and the feminine ‘ Liberation’. In contrast to the characters such as Adela, Emma and Nora who negate the social other in pursuing their determined routes towards the self-satisfaction, the feminine portrayals like Kattrin and Maggie Tulliver adopt the self-denial and renunciation of desires for the betterment of the social other. Thus the characters like Nora, Emma and Adela become capable of gratifying their intense abomination towards the social order while Kattrin and Maggie Tulliver with their self-sacrifice and altruistic motives achieve a serene satisfaction. In that sense it can be identified that their self-annihilation leaves behind a symbol of identity rather than nihilistic reality implying a more psychological vitality without being just a physical deterioration.

Alfred Döblin vs. Bertolt Brecht: reception of the genre Lehrstück in A. Döblin’s drama

The article is devoted to the drama of Bertolt Brecht and Alfred Döblin. On the material of A. Döblin’s play «The Marriage» analyzes the typological factors of the genre Lehrstück («learning» or «didactic» play), which became widespread as Brecht’s authorial innovation. The purpose of the article: on the basis of comparative analysis of Lehrstück by B. Brecht and the play «The Marriage» by A. Döblin to explore their formal and poetic factors and to conclude about the common and distinctive features of artistic and aesthetic intention of the genre Lehrstück in the works of both playwrights. The source base of the research is represented by literary studies of Günter Hartung, Jan Knopf, Klaus-Dieter Krabiel, Heiner Müller, Rainer Steinweg, Bernhard Klaus Tragelehn, Florian Vaßen, Oleksandr Chirkov. To achieve this goal, the following research methods were used: cultural-historical, comparative-historical, structuralsemantic, descriptive, literary analysis and synthesis. The study presents the main stages of the genre in the work of Brecht and focuses on the initial period of origin of the «learning» or «didactic» play, which is also relevant to the drama of A. Döblin. The play «The Marriage» contains three scenes, a prologue and an interlude. Thematically, all the scenes are united by a common plot core – showing the breakup of marriage and family due to external circumstances. Family and marital relationships fail regardless of social status or financial status. Results and conclusions: The article proves that A. Döblin’s play «The Marriage» has a number of aesthetic and typological features that make it related to Brecht’s «didactic» plays: rejection of theatrical scenery, props, that is, everything that creates a theatrical illusion; the presence of epic elements and music as components of drama; use of text and illustrative projections, songs, recitatives with musical accompaniment; presence of a speaker (commentator) and a choir; the inclusion of the author’s commentary, which states the theme and issues of the drama, as well as explains how the play is constructed, emphasizes the probable educational, educational, instructive influence; the presence of director’s remarks that explain the options for the stage embodiment of the play; the ability to improvise, modify the text of the play and release individual scenes according to the purpose and type of production. A generalized analysis of the existing typological characteristics gives grounds to consider the play «The Marriage» by A. Döblin as a conceptual imitation and / or continuation of the theory and practice of the author’s genre Lehrstück B. Brecht.

The Theological Importance of Prof. Uwe’s Christian Poems

Prof. Heinz-Uwe Haus is an internationally renowned director and is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on Bertolt Brecht. Besides his theatrical achievements, he proves to have a profound knowledge of Christian doctrines, which is significantly well portrayed in his Christian poems. His poetic lines unveil the essential spirit of the New Testament. In this paper, a few poems are chosen to illustrate his theological thoughts, which are intricately connected with the core value of the New Testament, including Jesus’ crucifixion, salvation, man’s real nature, fundamental faith, and so on.

“It Can’t Happen Here”: Howard Brenton’s The Churchill Play

This article proposes revisiting Howard Brenton’s The Churchill Play (1974). I contend that the play offers pertinent insights into how authoritarian governments come into being through the implicit cooperation of people who, wittingly or unwittingly, enter into a “conspiracy of obedience.” Although inspired by political issues that were current in Britain in the 1970 s and 1980 s, the play’s illustration of the fragility of democracy resonates with today’s political atmosphere, especially that experienced in the United States. By anchoring my argument to the theories of Bertolt Brecht, I aim to clarify Brenton’s intent and encourage a more parabolic reading of the play – perceiving totalitarianism not as the usurpation of power by a single individual or group, but as the consequence of people’s complacent and self-serving tendencies to comply with the status quo.

Traduzir, Remontar: Antologia e a Invenção do Objeto Traduzido.

Este ensaio tem por objetivo discutir os diferentes sentidos da noção de traduzir como remontar, explorando as acepções desse verbo em português, seja no sentido da (re)montagem, seja no sentido da referência a uma origem. À luz dessa reflexão preliminar, este ensaio se encerra com uma leitura crítica do projeto de tradução da poesia de Bertolt Brecht, publicada por André Vallias em 2019.

Theatre and Indigenous Peoples: Learning to Imagine New Worlds in End Times

This article examines the relationship between the performing arts and Amerindian peoples, specifically the Araweté, Juruna/Yudjá and Kamayurá peoples, which belong to the Tupi branch, whom I met as part of postdoctoral research carried out from February 2018 to January 2019, at the University of São Paulo (USP). It analyses the conjuncture of the fight of Amerindian and riparian peoples before the destruction of the forest and rivers of the Amazon, based on case studies of two theatre performances: Altamira 2042, a scenic ritual instauration triggered by listening to the testimony of the Xingu river about the Belo Monte dam, and Os Um e Os Outros (The One and the Others), loosely based on The Horatians and the Curiatians by Bertolt Brecht.

An Age of Transition: Restaging Brecht’s Encounter with Beijing Opera

The scene is Moscow, 1935. A who’s who of the European avant-garde has gathered to see the work of their foremost Chinese colleague: the Beijing opera master Mei Lanfang. Among them is the German playwright Bertolt Brecht, who sees in Mei’s performances the aesthetic effect he aims to develop in his own work: an effect he will soon call the ‘alienation effect.’ In 1936, Brecht pens his famous essay “On Chinese Acting,” in which he argues—approvingly—that Chinese theatre alienates the actor and audience from a play’s narrative by smashing the fourth wall and championing symbolism over realism. But did Brecht get it right? In this essay, I examine this remarkable episode in global theatre history. I argue that Brecht misunderstood Beijing opera’s theatre aesthetics, yet nonetheless meaningfully engaged with Chinese culture. A renewed encounter between Brechtian theatre and Beijing opera, I suggest, opens up intriguing possibilities in dramatic performance and theatre aesthetics.