As an integral part of his work as a political playwright and dramaturge, Bertolt Brecht concerned himself extensively with the theory of drama. He was convinced that the Aristotelian ideal of audience catharsis through identification with a hero and the resultant experience of terror and pity worked against his goal of bettering society. He did not want his audiences to feel, but to think, and his main theoretical thrusts -- -Verfremdungseffekte- (de-familiarization devices) and epic theater, among others -- were conceived in pursuit of this goal. This is the first detailed study in English...