‘Venturing Beyond’: Ernst Bloch, Bertolt Brecht, and the Utopian Literarization of Production

Abstract

This thesis problematizes conceptions of a dialectic utopia and revolutionary literature by looking at two German authors of the 20th century: Ernst Bloch and Bertolt Brecht I compare and contrast Bloch's and Brecht's theories of utopia and assess how each author attempts to create social change through their work. Common literary research suggests that Bloch and Brecht construct opposing strategies of social change through literature, but in my analysis of each author, I explain how their work compliments the other and resolutely come to agreeing theoretical outcomes.