“It Can’t Happen Here”: Howard Brenton’s The Churchill Play

Author:

Saunders Judith1

Affiliation:

1. Contra Costa College , San Pablo , USA United States of America

Abstract

Abstract This article proposes revisiting Howard Brenton’s The Churchill Play (1974). I contend that the play offers pertinent insights into how authoritarian governments come into being through the implicit cooperation of people who, wittingly or unwittingly, enter into a “conspiracy of obedience.” Although inspired by political issues that were current in Britain in the 1970 s and 1980 s, the play’s illustration of the fragility of democracy resonates with today’s political atmosphere, especially that experienced in the United States. By anchoring my argument to the theories of Bertolt Brecht, I aim to clarify Brenton’s intent and encourage a more parabolic reading of the play – perceiving totalitarianism not as the usurpation of power by a single individual or group, but as the consequence of people’s complacent and self-serving tendencies to comply with the status quo.

Publisher

Walter de Gruyter GmbH

Subject

Literature and Literary Theory,Visual Arts and Performing Arts

Reference29 articles.

1. Barnett, David. Brecht in Practice: Theatre, Theory and Performance. London: Bloomsbury, 2015. Print.

2. Beckett, Andy. When the Lights Went Out: What Really Happened to Britain in the Seventies. London: Faber and Faber, 2010. Print.

3. Bennhold, Katrin. “Germany’s Far Right Reunified, Too, Making It Much Stronger.” New York Times, 3 Oct. 2020. Web. 27 June 2021. .

4. Billington, Michael. “The Churchill Play at Nottingham Playhouse.” The Guardian, 10 May 1974. Web. 27 June 2021. .

5. –-. “1984: Review.” The Guardian, 5 Dec. 2011. Web. 27 June 2021. .

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3