Verfremdungseffekt

Also known as the 'V effect' and 'distancing', verfremdungseffekt is the Brechtian convention that aims to distance the audience from getting emotionally involved with the characters and the production but without losing their focus. It aims to leave the audience pondering questions and thinking about what is being presented to them.

Seeing the three stages of the same woman - the mad person, the killer and the mother - as a montage, really helped me understand the position the audience were in whilst watching Brecht's original pieces. It left me asking questions and pondering over how the same woman went through all three of those stages; why and how this happened. By seeing this all at once, it allowed my to make my own judgment over her character without being influenced or attached from seeing the journey she went through. This was Brecht's main goal by using the verfremdungseffekt as he wanted the audience to question why the things being presented to them were in the situation they were in and how the situation came to be that way.

I find idea of the 'V effect' intriguing and interesting because as a person who can get quite attached to characters, it seems quite a challenging and almost uncomfortable idea to put myself in and understand. However, I think idea of leaving the audience questioning and pondering about what they're watching and what they've seen, an extremely powerful device that can be used to promote messages and changes in ways the audience may have never experienced before - It's something I would definitely like to explore in greater detail in the future.


I've attached a short video that explains quickly the verfremdungseffekt and Brecht's intention when using this device. Though it doesn't go into great detail, it explains the basic ideas and it's done in a simplistic way that makes it easier to understand for those who may not be completely clear (however ignore the last minute or so).