A transcript of a talk given at the University of Ljubljana on “how literature changes lives.”
Tag Archives: Bertolt Brecht
Theories about Lit’s Impact
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Aristotle, Chinua Achebe, Frederick Engel, Horace, Karl Marx, Martha Nussbaum, Matthew Arnold, Percy Shelley, Plato, Rachel Blau du Plessis, Samuel Johnson, Sir Philip Sidney, Wayne Booth Comments closed
Brecht Quatrains for Challenging Times
During World War II Bertolt Brecht wrote quatrains that speak powerfully to our own political times.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Adolph Hitler, Donald Trump, refugees, war, War Primer Comments closed
Brecht Explains Castile Shooting
To understand why cops continue to shoot innocent people of color and why juries acquit them, Brecht has the definitive explanation in his play “The Exception and the Rule.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Black Lives Matter, cop killings, Exception and the Rule, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice Comments closed
The World’s One Hope: Compassion
Bertolt Brecht’s “”The World One Hope” addresses the problem of growing callousness but then points to how we can break through to compassion.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "World's One Hope", discrimination, Donald Trump, GOP, oppression, Trumpism Comments closed
Brecht’s Working Class Revenge Fantasy
Many working class and lower middle class Americans have felt abandoned by the GOP and Democratic establishments. Bertolt Brecht’s “Pirate Jenny” articulates a revenge fantasy that captures some of their anger.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Pirate Jenny", Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, politics, Presidential Primaries Comments closed
Why It’s Good To Offend Students
An entering Duke student has refused to read Alison Bechdel’s “Fun House.” A professor comes partially to his defense.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Burning of the Books", Alison Bechdel, censorship, college life, Franz Kafka, freshman orientation, Fun House, homosexuality, reader response Comments closed
Pledge Your Intellect to Freedom
Brecht’s poem to students of workers and peasants reminds them that they are being educated thanks to the bloody struggles of those who came before.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "To the Students of the Workers’ and Peasants’ Faculty", education in America, labor struggles, privilege, public education, tracking Comments closed
History from the Workers’ Perspective
Bertolt Brecht captures the spirit of May Day in “A Worker Reads History.”
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Worker Reads History", International Workers Day, Labor, May Day, Work Comments closed
Can Art Change Big Brother?
The Oscar-winning German film “The Lives of Others” speaks to the ability of art to change people’s lives.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged "Memory of Marie A", 1984, Film, George Orwell, Lives of Others, Secret police, Stasi Comments closed
