"Alienation-Effect" for Whom? Brecht's (Mis)interpretation of the Classical Chinese Theatre

Abstract

{F}ew {W}estern theatre artists have been as celebrated for their appreciation of {A}sian theatre aesthetics as has {B}ertolt {B}recht, who, among other things, used his understanding of {M}ei {L}anfang's acting as a foundation for his highly influential theory of the "{A}lienation-effect." {M}in {T}ian looks closely at {B}recht's comprehension of {C}hinese theatre and finds that the {G}erman playwright-director was considerably off base. {M}in {T}ian holds a doctorate from {C}hina's {C}entral {A}cademy of {D}rama, where he has been an associate professor since 1992. {T}he author of many scholarly articles and the coauthor of a forthcoming book, {X}ian {D}ang {D}ai {O}uzhou {X}iju ({M}odern and {C}ontemporary {E}uropean {D}rama), he is currently pursuing his {P}h. {D}. at the {U}niversity of {I}llinois, {C}hampaign-{U}rbana.