Mother Courage and her children : a chronicle of the Thirty Years' War

by Bertolt Brecht

Paper Book, 1966

Description

This Student Edition of Brecht's anti-war masterpiece features an extensiveintroduction and commentary that includes a plot summary, discussion ofthe context, themes, characters, style and language as well asquestions for further study and notes on words and phrases in the text.It is the perfect edition for students of theatre and literature. In this chronicle of the Thirty Years War of the seventeenth century, Mother Courage follows the armies back and forth across Europe, selling provisions and liquor from her canteen wagon. As the action of the play progresses between the years 1624 and 1646 she loses her children to the war but remains indomitable, refusing to part with her livelihood - the wagon. The play is one of the most celebrated examples of Epic Theatre and of Brecht's use of alienation effect to focus attention on the issues of the play above the individual characters. It remains regarded as one of the greatest plays of the twentieth century and one of the great anti-war plays of all time. The Berlin production of 1949, with Helene Weigel as Mother Courage, marked the foundation of the Berliner Ensemble. This volume contains expert notes on the author's life and work, historical and political background to the play, photographs from stage productions and a glossary of difficult words and phrases. The play is translated by Brecht scholar John Willett who did more than anyone else to make Brecht's work available in the English language.… (more)

Status

Available

Call number

832

Genres

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

New York : Grove Press, 1966.

Media reviews

Love Books Review

"Mother Courage and Her Children" is a play written by German playwright Bertolt Brecht during the late 1930s and early 1940s. Set against the backdrop of the Thirty Years' War, the play follows the character of Mother Courage, a canteen-wagon-driving woman, as she navigates the war-torn landscape

of Europe in an attempt to make a living and protect her three children. Mother Courage, whose real name is Anna Fierling, is a shrewd and resourceful woman who tries to capitalize on the war by selling goods to soldiers. Despite her attempts to profit from the conflict, the war takes a heavy toll on her family. Her children—Eilif, Kattrin, and Swiss Cheese—each face their own challenges and tragic fates due to the brutality and senselessness of war. Throughout the play, Brecht employs a unique theatrical style known as "epic theatre," characterized by a deliberate alienation effect that seeks to distance the audience emotionally and encourage critical engagement with the themes. The episodic structure and use of songs and commentary contribute to the overall didactic nature of the play. As Mother Courage travels with her wagon, she encounters various characters and witnesses the destructive impact of war on individuals and communities. Despite her attempts to navigate the chaotic and violent world, Mother Courage faces personal losses and learns the harsh realities of survival in a war-ravaged society. Brecht's "Mother Courage and Her Children" is a powerful anti-war drama that explores the dehumanizing effects of war and the moral compromises individuals make in the pursuit of survival. The play serves as a critique of war profiteering and the destructive nature of conflict on human relationships.

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User reviews

LibraryThing member iayork

The Most Boring Play I have ever read.: There is not a single passage of entertainment in this play, or anything even scarcely enjoyable about the reading experience. You will never finish it unless you are at all interested in the Thirty Years War. If you're going to read anything by Brecht, try

the witty 'Threepenny Opera', which succeeds at everything that Brecht needs to do to impart his political beliefs without putting his readers to sleep.

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LibraryThing member stephensoldner

an excellent brecht play that, despite what some say of the nature of his plays, does have a fair amount of emotionalism in it, at least as far as the fate of the children goes (kattrin in particular). this doesn't take away at all from brecht's social statements, which are in full effect and as

concrete as ever. plays allow more of a focus on character actions than prose, and this is very important for 'mother courage'.
eric bentley's translations, i would assume, are excellent (considering how much brecht he has translated and the fact that he actually worked with brecht for several of his translations) and his introduction is insightful and helpful for anyone unfamiliar with brecht. brecht even has a few notes towards the end of this edition that also explain the character of mother courage and the play's theme in general.

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LibraryThing member ex_ottoyuhr

I think we can all agree that the English-speaking world needs more 30 Years' War fiction, or else that I need to get much better at German. :)

A really superb play -- but it's Brecht. It's hazardous for me to say this without having read all his works, but in my experience, you _can't_ go wrong

with Brecht.

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LibraryThing member DCArchitect

Brechtian theater is built on the concept that to much emotional response by the audience interferes with the social commentary of the work and ultimately decreases a work's ability to bring about social change.

Brecht, writing during World War II, gives us a story of a woman who relies on a war

that is killing her children to make a profit. A ringing condemnation of what Eisenhower would call the Military Industrial Complex.

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LibraryThing member jorgearanda

A fun and horrifying antiwar tragedy.

LibraryThing member Devil_llama

Brecht's masterpiece, and one of the few that is regularly performed right now. Having seen this in various performances, I was interested in reading it. The reading is actually easier than the performance, perhaps because theatres tend to emphasize the action and add extra bits of action, and

because it is often treated in such a somber serious way. As I was reading, I was surprised to find that many of the scenes I remembered as extremely long were actually not long at all. The dialogue moves more quickly in the reading than in the performance.

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LibraryThing member Sean191

So before I started reading Mother Courage, I checked my library info here because it sounded so familiar. And I was surprised to see that I not only hadn't read it, but hadn't read any Brecht...or so I thought.

It's not a long read, and even though the subject matter is dark, the dialogue is often

hilarious. I was about three quarters of the way through the book when I was straightening up my office. I found a college notebook and took a quick glance through it to see if I was going to keep it...and that's when I realized I had read the book before - because I had a page of notes detailing all the characters...and I was a real slacker on taking notes. Even with that, I knew I had read it, but couldn't remember it. So even though I enjoyed (re)reading Mother Courage, I guess I can't say it's necessarily memorable.

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LibraryThing member LizzySiddal

Oh my goodnesss ... I’d forgotten how much I love Brecht!

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