In this episode of SFAP with AP, host Anna Pomahac explores German philosopher Walter Benjamin’s admiration for German playwright Bertolt Brecht’s revolutionary Epic Theater, acknowledging its profound impact on societal critique and proletariat class consciousness. The discussion delves into key Epic Theater elements, such as action interruption and audience disidentification, emphasizing Brecht’s goal of creating a critically engaged audience. Drawing connections to cinematic montage, this episode highlights how both Epic Theater and Russian director Sergei Eisenstein’s film techniques serve as improved apparatuses for social awakening and revolution, aligning with Benjamin’s vision.
The German-Jewish scholar Walter Benjamin (1892-1940) wore many hats: philosopher, translator, cultural critic, historian. During the course of his life Benjamin witnessed the rise of fascism in Germany and was forced into exile in 1933. After fleeing from the Nazi invasion of France with the hope of making his way to America, Benjamin committed suicide at the Spanish-French border in 1940. Because of his many interests Benjamin's work has enjoyed an international and multidisciplinary reception, influencing a wide range of disciplines including philosophy, film and media studies, cultural studies, literary theory and philology. In an interdisciplinary survey course taught by Frank Voigt and PhD-candidate Everet Smith (cross-listed with the Departments of Philosophy, Comparative Literature, and Jewish Studies) students could produce a podcast episode as their final project. Anna Pomahac and Ricardo Vargas, two philosophy students, did so. Their podcast episodes are both wonderful introductions and deep dives into Benjamin’s thinking on Brecht’s "Epic Theater" and the role of intellectuals in society.
Bibliography
Akin, Deren E. “Epic Theatre and the Brechtian Method.” Medium, January 10, 2021. https://dereneakin.medium.com/epic-theatre-and-the-brechtian-method-cf0f353a9f6b.
Benjamin, Walter. “The Author as Producer.” In Selected Writings, edited by Michael W. Jennings, Howard Eiland, and Gary Smith, translated by Rodney Livingstone and Others, 768-782. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1999.
Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility.” In Illuminations, edited by Michael W. Jennings, Brigid Doherty, and Thomas Y. Levin, translated by Edmund Jephcott, Rodney Livingstone, Howard Eiland, and Others, 19-55. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2008.
Benjamin, Walter. “What is Epic Theatre? [Second Version].” In Understanding Brecht, translated by Anna Bostock, 15-22. London: Verso, 1998.
Campbell, Tori. “Sergei Eisenstein – Father of Montage.” Artland Magazine. https://magazine.artland.com/sergei-einstein-father-of-montage/#:~:text=Sergei%20Eisen stein%20is%20known%20as,is%20his%20most%20famous%20film.
Eisenstein, Sergei. “Montage of Attractions: For ‘Enough Stupidity in Every Wiseman.’” In The Drama Review: TDR, translated by Daniel Gerould, 77-85. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1974.
Eisenstein, Sergei. “Filmic Fourth Dimension.” 64-71. 1929.
Mitchell, Stanley. “Introduction.” In Understanding Brecht, vii-xix. London: Verso, 1972.
Schildcrout, Jordan. “A Man’s a Man by Bertolt Brecht.” Theatre Journal 66, no. 4 (January 2014): 599-601.