In his notes of 1930 on the opera Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny, Bertolt Brecht set two forms of theater side by side in a table. In the dramatic form, the spectator is drawn into the action. In the epic form, er wird ihr gegenübergesetzt, he is set opposite it.
The epic form macht ihn zum Betrachter, makes him an observer. Where the dramatic form gives him experiences, the epic form vermittelt ihm Kenntnisse, gives him knowledge. Where the dramatic form allows him feelings, the epic form erzwingt von ihm Entscheidungen, forces decisions from him.