"In a world flooded with information, images, and sounds - where the distinction between real and simulated becomes increasingly blurred - one of the most pressing concerns of the theatre is how to overcome expected audience reaction and recast the well known in a new and meaningful form. Situating the practice of theatrical estrangement firmly in its social and political contexts, Theatre of Estrangement looks at how this concern has manifested itself in Russian and German avant-garde theatre. " "Silvija Jestrovic traces the concept of estrangement from its early formulation in the Russian Formalist school of literary criticism embodied in the experiments of the Russian avant-garde, to its so-called apotheosis in the theory and practice of Bertolt Brecht. Drawing from a variety of sources theatrical performances, dramatic works, visual art, film, political events, biographical data - she demonstrates that theatrical estrangement is not only an abstract theoretical postulate, but also a practical artistic strategy shaped by the cultural and historical climate. "--BOOK JACKET.