Leitmotiv and Drama: Wagner, Brecht, and the Limits of Epic Theatre

by Hilda M. Brown

Wagner and Brecht are seemingly opposed in their approach to drama, music, and visual representation, the former believing in the integration of these different elements in the "Gesamtkunstwerk", the other in their separation. However, they share common ground in their sophisticated use of leitmotivic networks, a bridging device for Wagner who builds onto its verbal and semantic foundation a unique and complex musical language. Both use the device to explain and evaluate a dramatic action as it unfolds, i.e. as a major form of perspectival commentary. Brown discusses the paradox that Wagner's theory can shed light on Brecht's dramatic practice, since Brecht's own thematical concerns focus almost exclusively on the gestic and disjunctive perspectives identified with epic theatre.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198162278
• ISBN13: 9780198162278
• Release Date: September 1991
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.8"