SOC461 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: George Grosz, German Expressionism, Satyr Play
13 Dec 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Soc 461 – November 17, 2016 : Burger and Brecht – The Avant-Garde
Review:
• Theorists of art and society link the forms of art to the society underlying it: modern society
requires unique forms of art to represent it adequately.
Intro: The art of preaching
• German Expressionist artist Georg Grosz was noted for his politically-charged pics of Berlin life.
• What sort of message?
• How effective?
• How good as art?
Intro: Preaching to the Converted
Agitprop: Chiefly communist/Bolshevik art meant to serve as propaganda to stir up the masses with
incendiary images.
• Aatgades politial itet liits it as at: lea essage otadits Kats puposieess
ithout patiula pupose.
• Moeoe, if the essage is too oious, it ill ot pesuade aoe ho doest already agree:
it simply hectors its audience.
1.Theatre of society
• Modern theatre is a leisure-time activity, which we attend for the sake of entertainment. Brecht
seeks to challenge and reinterpret this.
o How did past societies (particularly the Greeks) treat theatre? How was it linked to the
rest of their society?
o How do audiences behave in theatres now? How much do they participate? How do
they sit?
o How important are the things we see in the theatre for our regular lives? Do these
things just seem significant or are they just art?
o
• Western theatre emerged from ancient Greeks, who developed three genres at the heart of
uh that folloed: taged lit, goat sog, oed, ad sat pla.
• Greek plays originated as choral recitals of stories, which eventually included individual actors
stopping forward to take on certain roles (Thespis of Icaria, 6th century BCE, seen as first)
• Chorus plays substantial role in Greek drama.
• Greek cities funded large public theatres and frequent festivals, many of which have survived.
• Theatre served a significant ritual function: governed by strict rules, and often linked to religious
festivals.
• Plas ofte depited stoies of ii ipotae: Aeshluss Oesteia is allego fo eegee
of democratic justice over ancient traditions of revenge.
• Public drama festivals provided an opportunity for civic celebration.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Soc 461 november 17, 2016 : burger and brecht the avant-garde. Review: theorists of art and society link the forms of art to the society underlying it: modern society requires unique forms of art to represent it adequately. 1. theatre of society: modern theatre is a leisure-time activity, which we attend for the sake of entertainment. Autonomous art institutions: above social pressures: free from (cid:858)i(cid:374)te(cid:396)est(cid:859) a(cid:374)d de(cid:373)a(cid:374)ds. Allo(cid:449)s a (cid:272)(cid:396)iti(cid:272)al dista(cid:374)(cid:272)e : a radical aesthetic, while watching. Lukacs: favours literary realism that depicts the contradictory social world of capitalism trapping the individual, to show need for total change, c(cid:396)iti(cid:272)ises (cid:373)ode(cid:396)(cid:374)is(cid:373)(cid:859)s (cid:374)egati(cid:448)it(cid:455) a(cid:374)d failu(cid:396)e to e(cid:454)plai(cid:374) u(cid:374)de(cid:396)l(cid:455)i(cid:374)g st(cid:396)u(cid:272)tu(cid:396)es (cid:272)ausi(cid:374)g p(cid:396)o(cid:271)le(cid:373)s. >reification: objectifiying attitude towards society and social relations, treating them as naturalistic. Lukacs links this to capitalism: private individual producing alone in impersonal economic system: brecht is co(cid:374)(cid:272)e(cid:396)(cid:374)ed (cid:271)(cid:455) (cid:272)o(cid:374)(cid:448)e(cid:374)tio(cid:374)al theat(cid:396)e(cid:859)s ai(cid:373)s to (cid:271)e (cid:858)(cid:396)ealist(cid:859), depicts characters we can identify with in a world that we recognize as natural, leads.
