Mother Courage and Her Children
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Mother Courage and Her Children (original German title: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder) was written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956). It is one of several plays that he wrote in an attempt to counter the rise of Fascism and Nazism. Following Brecht's own principles for political drama, the play is set not in modern times but during the Thirty Years War of 1618-1648. It follows the fortunes of Anna Frieling, nicknamed Mother Courage, a wily canteen woman with the Swedish Army who is determined to make her living from the war. Over the course of the play, she loses all three of her children, Swiss Cheese, Eilif, and Katrin, to the same war from which she sought to profit.
The play is an example of Brecht's concepts of Epic Theater and verfremdungseffekt or alienation effect. The action of the play takes place over the course of 12 years -- 1624 - 1636 -- represented in 12 short scenes. We get a sense of Courage's career without ever being given time to empathize with any of the characters.
Template:Theat-stubde:Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder pl:Matka Courage i jej dzieci