So I am still trying to wrap my head around how Brecht goes about writing his plays. For me it is so hard to get into this play because Brecht's purpose is in some way kind of to take you out of it. With each interlude, I am a bit taken aback at how prompt and blunt they are. For example, in the interlude between scenes five and six, Shen Teh simply summarized what happened with the money and the shop and also suddenly proclaimed her love for Sun. It somewhat startled me.
I can see how these themes of money really tie in with Brecht's style though. Within society, there are so many obstacles to overcome and conquer and money is definitely one of them. He is trying to make his writing timeless by utilizing this connecting factor.
Along with that, I can kind of see how the switching between Shen Teh and Shui Ta can enhance his stylized writing. By switching suddenly between these character(s), the audience can never really form a connection deeply with either one of them. The identity of Shen Teh is blurred and the audience seemingly becomes confused by this. At least I am a bit! But the writing is interesting and I definitely am intrigued to see how all of this pans out.
2 comments:
I see this style similar to a musical. It is kind of hard determine the purpose of the interludes and songs. Are they a part of suspending the plot for character development or do they carry the plot? I am kind of puzzled as well.
I agree with your last paragraph. I love the intentional confusion between those characters.
Brecht's style of writing places emphasis on the language of the play. In this respect this style reminds me a lot of Shakespeare's writing, which also places a great emphasis on the language. But does that mean that Brecht places a greater emphasis on the language than on relationships between characters?
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