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Adamov's Alienation Effect: Showing the Absurdist Slant of Epic Theatre Aesthetic
(University of Oregon, 2015) Maurer, Nicholas
Epic Theatre and Absurdism could not be further apart. Epic Theatre was constructed in order to teach audiences morality, while Absurdism asserts that the world is deprived of morality and meaning. The contrast between styles can be seen by comparing the work of Bertolt Brecht to Samuel Beckett, figureheads of these two movements. Although these styles seem to originate from two separate schools of thought, they actually exist under the umbrella of modernism, and their connection is exemplified by the works of Arthur Adamov, who used Brechtian theory for his absurdist plays. Most notably, Adamov borrowed Brecht’s alienation effect. In his plays Professor Taranne, Paolo Paoli, and Ping Pong, Adamov adapted Brecht’s alienation effect in order to allow the audience to remove themselves from the exaggerated, absurd plot of the play. Instead of showing morality, this effect allows the plays to be more humorous than if an audience was to become invested in the onstage plight.