Bertolt Brecht, LeRoi Jones and Antonin Artaud :: LeRoi Jones Dutchman

Bertolt Brecht, LeRoi Jones and Antonin ArtaudIn LeRoi Joness play, Dutch human being, elements of realism, naturalism andnon-realism abound. The play features characters such as Clay, atwenty-year-old Negro, Lula, a thirty-year-old white woman, both whiteand scorch passengers on a subway coach, a young Negro and a conductor.All of these characters invite a ride that, for each, ends with differentdestinations and leaves the audience to sort through and through the expatiate andfind conclusions themselves. In this play, Jones uses realistic,naturalistic and non-realistic elements to convey mixer issues such asracism in the authors admit disillusioned style. Joness portrayal issupported with the influences of Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud,whose own disillusionment enhanced their works and greatly diversifiedtheatrical conventions. Dutchman is a play that should be talkedabout by its audience so they can take disjoint cleanse themselves of theissues within, therefore, as m any conclusions can be drawn by theindividuals exposed in this play as there are numbers pool of masses thathave seen or read it.Realism and naturalism arose out of a world which was increasingly becoming scientifically advanced. Airplanes,railroads, automobiles, steamboats and communication advances such as television, radio, the squall and the telegraphincreased the speed and the amount of information that humanbeings can send. Realism and naturalism . . . arose in partas responses to those new social and philosophical conditions(Cameron and Gillespie, pg. 335). Following in a realisticstyle, Jones sets his play in contemporary times and in a contemporaryplace- the subway. Jones sets the scene with a man sit in a subwayseat while holding a magazine. Dim and flickering lights and darknesswhistle by against the glass window to his right. These estheticaladornments give the illusion of speed associated with subway travel.Realists believed that the most effective purpose o f art was to improvehumanity by portraying contemporary animateness and its problems in realisticsettings. Jones depicts racism and murder in a modern setting toremind us that racism and racially motivated murders are not issues still relegated to our nations past, nor is the issue ofinstitutionalized racism.Jones also used non-realistic elements in his play and wasprobably influenced by Bertolt Brecht in doing so. Brecht oncewrote that . . . to think, or write or bewilder a play alsomeans to transform society, to transform the state, to subjectideologies to close scrutiny (Goosens, 1997). Jones wasinfluenced by Brecht by producing a play in a revolutionarypoetic style which scrutinizes ideologies of race.Bertolt Brecht, LeRoi Jones and Antonin Artaud LeRoi Jones DutchmanBertolt Brecht, LeRoi Jones and Antonin ArtaudIn LeRoi Joness play, Dutchman, elements of realism, naturalism andnon-realism abound. The play features characters such as Clay, atwenty-year-old Negro, Lula , a thirty-year-old white woman, both whiteand black passengers on a subway coach, a young Negro and a conductor.All of these characters take a ride that, for each, ends with differentdestinations and leaves the audience to sort through the details andfind conclusions themselves. In this play, Jones uses realistic,naturalistic and non-realistic elements to convey social issues such asracism in the authors own disillusioned style. Joness portrayal issupported with the influences of Bertolt Brecht and Antonin Artaud,whose own disillusionment enhanced their works and greatly diversifiedtheatrical conventions. Dutchman is a play that should be talkedabout by its audience so they can take part cleanse themselves of theissues within, therefore, as many conclusions can be drawn by theindividuals exposed in this play as there are numbers of people thathave seen or read it.Realism and naturalism arose out of a world which was increasingly becoming scientifically advanced. Airplanes,railr oads, automobiles, steamboats and communication advances such as television, radio, the telephone and the telegraphincreased the speed and the amount of information that humanbeings can send. Realism and naturalism . . . arose in partas responses to those new social and philosophical conditions(Cameron and Gillespie, pg. 335). Following in a realisticstyle, Jones sets his play in contemporary times and in a contemporaryplace- the subway. Jones sets the scene with a man sitting in a subwayseat while holding a magazine. Dim and flickering lights and darknesswhistle by against the glass window to his right. These aestheticadornments give the illusion of speed associated with subway travel.Realists believed that the most effective purpose of art was to improvehumanity by portraying contemporary life and its problems in realisticsettings. Jones depicts racism and murder in a modern setting toremind us that racism and racially motivated murders are not issuesonly relegated to our na tions past, nor is the issue ofinstitutionalized racism.Jones also used non-realistic elements in his play and wasprobably influenced by Bertolt Brecht in doing so. Brecht oncewrote that . . . to think, or write or produce a play alsomeans to transform society, to transform the state, to subjectideologies to close scrutiny (Goosens, 1997). Jones wasinfluenced by Brecht by producing a play in a revolutionarypoetic style which scrutinizes ideologies of race.