The Good Person of Szechwan (Penguin Classics)
by Bertolt Brecht
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Book Summary Information
Author: Bertolt BrechtEditor: Ralph Manheim
Translator: Ralph Manheim
Introduction: Ralph Manheim
Translator: John Willett
Introduction: John Willett
Introduction: Norman Roessler
Foreword: Carl Weber
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-27
ISBN: 014310537X
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Book Reviews of The Good Person of Szechwan (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: How to be a good person in a messed up world.
Summary: 5 Stars
"First comes eating and then comes morality".
One day three Gods come down to Earth in Szechwan China in the early part of the 20th century. They meet an indigent man, a water carrier named Wang and ask him to find someone who will put them up for the night. They are travelling the world in search of good persons. They find one. After getting refused repeatedly, Wang at last finds someone to host these gentlemen, a prostitute named Shen-Teh. At some expense to herself, as she is expecting a client, Shen-Teh selflessly lets them stay with her. Pleased they were able to find a good person, they give her 1,000 silver coins.
With this money Shen-Teh buys a tobacco shop. Immediately people start taking advantage of her. An entire family moves into the shop. People make claims, saying she owes them money. Facing swift ruin, Shen-Teh creates a fictitious cousin, Shui-Ta. She dresses up as him, and he's able to put people off in the way she can't. Shui-Ta can say no. Shui-Ta helps her out then leaves.
Shen-Teh continues on, trying to make a living with the shop. On a rainy evening Shen-Teh meets a man Yang Sun. He is about to commit suicide. She speaks with him and prevents it. She falls in love with him.
That's the basic plot setup. I'll just add that Shui-Ta is forced to come back again. Things just keep conspiring against good Shen-Teh.
It's unconventional, as Brecht frequently is. Characters will break into song every once in a while. They'll talk directly to the audience. Sylistically, it's part fable/parable, part farce, part tragedy. I read the tone as semi-humourous, semi-serious. It's absurdist, but I agree with the idea that you can't have great comedy without a serious undercurrent and that comedy enhances a serious subject.
I had a few minor quibbles - towards the end it got a trifle confusing, there are a lot of minor characters that I had some trouble keeping track of, and I found Yang Sun a tad cryptic.
Summary of The Good Person of Szechwan (Penguin Classics)
The authorized, definitive editions of two of Bertolt Brecht?s most enduring works
The Good Person of Szechwan is one of Bertolt Brecht?s most popular works. When three gods come to earth in search of a thoroughly good person, they encounter Shen Teh, a goodhearted but penniless prostitute, who offers them shelter. Rewarded with enough money to open a tobacco shop, ?Angel of the Slums? Shen Teh soon becomes so overwhelmed by the demands of people seeking assistance that she invents a male alter ego, ?Tobacco K ing? Shui Ta, to deal ruthlessly with the business of living in an evil world. The Good Person of Szechwan is a masterpiece of minimalist design and elegance that shines a light on human nature and social mores.
The Good Person of Szechwan is one of Bertolt Brecht?s most popular works. When three gods come to earth in search of a thoroughly good person, they encounter Shen Teh, a goodhearted but penniless prostitute, who offers them shelter. Rewarded with enough money to open a tobacco shop, ?Angel of the Slums? Shen Teh soon becomes so overwhelmed by the demands of people seeking assistance that she invents a male alter ego, ?Tobacco K ing? Shui Ta, to deal ruthlessly with the business of living in an evil world. The Good Person of Szechwan is a masterpiece of minimalist design and elegance that shines a light on human nature and social mores.
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