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Teen Book Review Blog

Gregory's review of "Mother Courage and Her Children" by Bertolt Brecht

mother courage and her children

4 stars of 5

Mother Courage and Her Children by Bertolt Brecht

In Bertolt Brecht’s influential play Mother Courage and her children, originally published in 1941, he chronicles the Thirty Years’ War. The war takes place in 17th Century Europe, and it is between the Catholics and Protestants. The story of Mother Courage, a woman who sells the soldiers from this war food and supplies off of her wagon, is played out throughout the 12 scenes. Some scenes include triumph while others include loss and sorrow which are seen through the dynamic of Mother Courage’s relationship to her children as well as the influence on her and the family from the ongoing war. Bertolt Brecht, who is the founder and creator of Epic Theatre, incorporates his teachings and system of theatre into this play. Brecht began Epic Theatre from his fueled hatred of World War 1, leading him to write plays that criticized the political systems in place. His plays focus on the use of Alienating the audience and reader (also known as the Verfremdungseffekt), didacticism, and historification. Epic Theatre is used to open the reader and audiences mind to the state of the real world, rather than suspend their disbelief. 

The use of Epic Theatre in Mother Courage and her children is highly prevalent which makes this play such an interesting and historical read. Even though the play focuses on a war from hundreds of years in the past, [at the time] it commented on the political state of the world. These themes can still be seen today, and it brings up necessary questions on the use of capitalism in society and in war. These themes are seen through Mother Courage’s business of selling necessities to the soldiers. By the end of the play, I had felt no particular way towards any of the characters, which is probably on purpose. Brecht likely wrote the characters like this to make sure the reader’s view on the play is not persuaded by emotions towards the characters. I found this aspect of the play to be super interesting since many authors want those types of reactions. On the other hand, Mother Courage and her children was not a super enticing read for me. Even though I found the concept and history of the play to be rather fascinating, I found the plot and overall flow to be dull. However, as a theatre student and lover, I found this read to be necessary and I implore any fellow theatre lovers to read this play. Overall, I would rate it four stars out of five because of its rich history and a story that makes the reader think critically throughout the reading process. 

Teen Book Review, Bertolt Brecht

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