Abstract The paper presents biographical information about Samuel Beckett, and then discusses some of his major works. According to the paper, Beckett had a profound effect on modern literature, and still influences writers today. Beckett's literary style is considered as well as the common themes that appear in his novels and plays. The author concludes that to truly understand Beckett's works one must understand his life.
From the Paper "Samuel Beckett was a literary genius and a master at what he created, but he also made people think about the human condition and the place of people in the people. Not the place of people suh as their social class, but the place of people as in what they really mean to one another ancd to themselves. It was not until Beckett had his epiphany and realized that he must embrace the darkness in himself that he actually started turning out a lot of work that was high quality and worthy of praise. Until that time, Beckett had done precious little that the critics enjoyed and he really did not work that much. After the realization, however, he found that he could write what he felt and what he needed to say without fear of what others were thinking of him, and apparently without fear of what he thought of himself. This was wonderful for Beckett, but equally as important for all of those that read his work and enjoy it, because if this realization had not come to him, he may not have turned out the amount and quality of work that he did in fact create."
Abstract This paper examines the repeating texts in many of Samuel Beckett's works, with an emphasis on the use of this device in his short plays. The author analyzes two of Beckett's short plays, "What Where" and "Play" to further explore his thesis. The paper also discusses the concept of textuality as it relates to Beckett's literary style. The paper also describes Beckett's work as taking the reader to powerful depths that require multiple readings.
From the Paper "Textuality transpires from every part of Beckett's What Where and Play, thanks to the use of textual repetitions, which introduce each time a difference -and even a "differance". In this first section, we have try to highlight the act of repeating within the texts themselves -that is, inner-repetition-, laying emphasis on the first level of the repetition scale. Our second part will be dedicated to the re(-)presentation of the plays, that is to say, the repetition of the written texts through their performance."
Tags: Samuel, Beckett, textuality, Where, When, Play
Abstract This paper examines how Samuel Beckett is one of the most important and influential playwrights of the twentieth century. It looks at how in most of his plays, he reflects an existential feeling that life is essentially absurd and that the only positive elements in it are discovered through the creativity of individuals who attempt to create meaning or else use humor to deal with this absurdity. It analyzes how death also receives a similar treatment in his plays and while the reality of death is exceptionally sad in its terrible finality, it is also dealt with in a humorous fashion. It evaluates how this combination of sadness and humor lead Beckett himself to label his own plays as ?tragicomic,? since these contradictory elements of tragedy and comedy seem to appear at the same in the same amount often in the same passage. It shows how Beckett's portrayal of the reality of human death is at once hysterical and depressing, whimsical and terrible, as he embraces both the absurdity of life through human creation and mourns the inability of human to triumph completely over those limitations.
From the Paper "Fittingly, in his play Waiting for Godot, his characters deal with death in a fashion that is both absurd and laments the true tragedy of the brevity and absurdity in their lives. Indeed, early in the play, the characters are considering what they should do with themselves since they are bored by the repetition of days in the strange and unnamed place where the scene is set. In this moment, Vladimir and Estragon decide that they might choose to hang themselves from the tree that is in the center of the stage. While this suggestion of suicide may seem quite grim, it is in reality extremely comic, since the tree is so small and pathetic that it could never hold a man's weight enough for him to be hanged. In a way, this joke about death is little more than a game that the two characters use to pass the time and one that results in great comedy."
Abstract The paper provides a thorough investigation of the presentation of Beckett's philosophical themes within the dramatic genre in order to determine whether meaning is indissolubly connected to innovation in dramatic technique. The paper shows how meaning is not indissolubly linked; Beckett allows his plays meaning outside of the dramatic arena. The paper does note, however, that Beckett's unconventional dramatisation of his philosophy contributes greatly to the plays.
From the Paper "In his essay, 'Beckett Out of His Mind: The Theatre of the Absurd', William Haney asserts that '[b]y dispensing with narrative sequence, character development, and psychology in the conventional sense, Beckett portrays the process by which awareness moves from the qualia of a historically mediated experience to a state beyond linguistic and cultural boundaries'. This statement has two key implications: firstly that that Beckett's plays do have an intrinsic meaning, and secondly that this meaning lies beyond linguistic boundaries and is thus inseparably linked to Beckett's unconventional dramatic technique. This perspective on meaning itself, however, is problematised when placed into Beckett's cultural context. Indeed, that 'Beckett actually encouraged critics to adopt a philosophical perspective on his work' seems to indicate that this is a useful approach."
This essay concerns the existential quandaries that the characters of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett experience in his most famous work, "Waiting for Godot."
Abstract This essay begins creatively, but it is a formal essay. It is primarily an analysis of "Waiting for Godot," although it includes references to "Endgame" and "Krapp's Last Tape." The author argues that the characters in "Godot" ignore the possibilities inherent in suffering. Eastern religious writing, on the other hand, includes possibility as an existential option, whereas Beckett does not. This is the difference between the two "approaches," and the author is critical of Beckett for failing to acknowledge existential possibility as achieved through self-awareness.
From the Paper "We find ourselves in some deeply existential quandary: a problem beyond inquiry or conclusion; a problem that extends into the void of time and space; that avoids the very title of "problem". We are confined to a box, in Endgame, we are on a dead tree stump off an abandoned road, in Godot, and we are on a bare stage with remnants of a former life or two, in Krapp's Last Tape. The resounding question is perhaps: where are we; and the resounding answer: we don't know. The resounding question is perhaps: who are we? The resounding answer is perhaps: "Je ne sais pas, monsieur (Esslin, 36)." And Mr. Beckett presents.... the universe. And Mr. Beckett presents...the human condition. And Mr. Beckett presents...existence. And Mr. Beckett presents..."
Abstract This paper takes a look at Samuel Beckett's "Endgame" and Ted Hughes' "Crow". According to the paper, after World War II, authors were faced with the difficulty of creating written works of meaning in a world that seemed so cruel that any attempt at making meaning or moral sense of human behavior seemed futile. This paper discusses Beckett's and Hughes' attempts at making, and failing to make, a new mythology in a world vacant of belief.
From the Paper "No one could describe Beckett's characters as attractive, and this deliberate impulse towards ugliness is also seen in Ted Hughes creation of the mythological, ugly character in the form of "Crow." A crow, the traditional trickster character of mythology, is a harsh-voiced bird, and Hughes himself said he selected this solitary feeder upon the bones of the dead as his protagonist quite deliberately--just as Beckett's characters feed upon the bones of a cultural system of meaning and a personal past that now has no shape or structure--"it's like the funny story we have heard too often, we still find it funny, but we don't laugh any more," says Nell of the "Endgame" dialogue--the animal Crow feeds upon what is left behind, feeding upon the dead in a world that is based upon death. The crow is a "nightmare" creation, a defiant voice in the wilderness against God. (Sagar, 1975) "
Abstract This paper reviews, discusses and analyses the 'Collected Shorter Plays' by Samuel Beckett. The paper reports that storytelling is the art of portraying, in words, images and sounds, what has happened in real or imagined events. The paper goes on to say that to Beckett, it represents the human effort to create order out of random experience.
According to the paper, in the Beckettian drama, a deep tension exists between life and story on the one hand, and self and story on the other hand. The paper continues by saying that storytelling constitutes an intrinsic part of the central dramatic action itself.
From the Paper "Beckettian narrators are above all human beings. As any other individual, they use storytelling as a way to escape reality. Storytelling, then, allows Beckett's protagonists that Freudian opportunity to reveal deep and difficult thoughts and feelings, while at the same time concealing them as fiction, or it least distancing them as narration. The conflict between facing issues and fleeing them in dramatized. By choosing to tell a story, to talk about rather than to perform, to focus on a narrated past rather than on actual present, Beckettian storytellers betray their deepest, most incompatible feelings. We can go as far as to say that all that talk in Beckett's Shorter Plays may not have the sole purpose of merely presenting thoughts and feelings directly, but rather, it is intended to disguise, distance and even hide them. Evasion, therefore, is part of a character's motivation in choosing to tell a story. He feels safe in the vicariousness of narrative: nothing is experienced or betrayed directly. Actually, an essential distance is involved in storytelling: it relies on the intrinsic convention that in narrative, the author and his story persona are not identical. Therefore, it conveniently moves passions away from the body and into the mind, where the process of simultaneously admitting and denying something, facing and fleeing dangers, can be achieved safely. Hence the division of the character's self into speaker and spoken, inherent in the great majority of the plays under study here. "
Abstract This paper talks about Samuel Beckett's play "Waiting for Godot" written in the 1950s. It has been performed world wide and has been critiqued and deconstructed many times, and many different interpretations offered as to its meaning. The author of this paper concludes with his own interpretation of what Beckett might have intended from this play - that is the he might simply have wanted people to sit still and reflect about what exactly is so significant in their lives.
From the Paper "In order to understand the comic relief of Beckett the philosophical view of Schopenhauer must be defined. Schopenhauer believed that the "will" is the inner part of man that drives the world forward--"will" supersede intellect placing desire before thought and "will" prior to being (Ross, 1998).
"In the 21st Century Beckett's Godot still has a place in theater including cyber-theater. Interactive art is all about the spontaneous and unpredictable occurrences between people coming together online and performing as if they were on a stage in front of an audience full of hecklers. The interaction between the performers and the audience is far more entertaining then the play by Beckett "Waiting for Godot" when it is performed open to anyone logged into the chat room at the Digital Storytelling Festival in Crested Butte, CO (Rosenberg, n.d.)."
Abstract This essay explores the existentialist theme in Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" and how it is used in the play.
From the Paper "In Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot, Existentialism is the prevailing source of inspiration.
Beckett uses his characters to show that waiting is truly anguish and one must actively pursue the
meaning in their life. This essay explores both existentialism as well as its use in this play."
Abstract This paper reviews Samuel Beckett's life and the influence it had on his writing. The setting of the play is analyzed, along with the characters' names, the dialogue and various themes of the play including: Self-reflexivity, father figures, and cyclically.
From the Paper "Some of the most in-depth interpretations deal with the setting of the play. Described in the first lines, the room is said to have "two small windows, [with] curtains drawn." That image, along with many other in the play, have led many to presume that the action occurs inside the skull, the players being inside the mind and thought of the body (Mayoux 4). This is a rather accurate assumption, seeing that Beckett was a fan of Descartes, who believed that the mind was a separate entity from the body."
Abstract This paper critically compares Friedrich Nietzsche's essay, "On the Advantage and Disadvantages of History for Life" to Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot" with a particular focus on the religious ideologies expressed by the two writers. The paper examines how the writers present history and explores the historic role played by individuals in society.
From the Paper "Nietzsche also believes that we should not forget about history completely, but we should forget about what can not help us in the future. The aspects of past history that we can learn from are important to the future because no matter what, the future will always be affected by the past according to Nietzsche. If we have no memory at all, we might as well be animals who forget every single time they act and therefore cannot improve their lives. We can use the knowledge of the past to advance in the present and future. Most animals do not advance themselves to a great extent. "
Abstract This paper discusses the innovations used by Samuel Beckett in his play "Waiting for Godot" such as the use of dis-connective dialogue, the sense and use of off-stage space, characters' understanding of and use of time, and the revelation of stage properties and characters as tools of the dramatist.
From the Paper "Within the very first lines of the play, we understand that the characters and their dialog do not relate to one another on the same plane. When Estragon says "Nothing to be done" and Vladimir replies "I'm beginning to come around to that opinion myself" it becomes clear that though Vladimir's response could be an appropriate one in an ordinary conversation, our visual cues tell us otherwise. In this moment, the characters are talking past one another and not to one another. One is attending to his boot, the other is philosophizing. In the first two lines Beckett shows us two very important things about the characters, that Estragon is a man who concerns himself with the physical, both discomforts and pleasure, and that Vladimir is a man of the mind. "
Abstract Discusses the revolt of the modernist writer/artist against traditional literary forms and subjects. Examples and definitions of modernist fiction. Difference between modernism and postmodernism. Beckett's DREAM OF FAIR TO MIDDLING WOMEN. His attempt to develop a narrative style reflecting the incoherence of human existence. Beckett's writings on Proust, James Joyce, Surrealism. His postmodern artistic strategies.
From the Paper "In A Glossary of Literary Terms, Meyer Abrams defines modernism as the term used to identify distinctive features in the concepts, sensibility, form, and style of literature and art since World War I (1914-1918). He notes that while the specific features signified by modernism varied with the user, most critics agreed the concept involved a deliberate and radical break with the traditional bases of Western culture and Western art (Abrams 108). In essence, the modernist artist revolted against traditional literary forms and subjects, and this revolt manifested itself strongly after the total destruction of World War I shook men's faith in the foundations and continuity of Western civilization and culture (Abrams 108).
Abrams offers T. S. Eliot as an example of a modernist..."
Abstract Analysis and comparison of Samuel Beckett's WATT and Vladimir Naboko's LOLITA. Both authors use of comedy and playfulness; their skillful story-telling. Beckett's philosophical ideas on futility to understand the world. Nabokov's use of the power of narrative art. Comic approach as a strategy used by both novelists to convey their ideas. Gives examples from the novels.
From the Paper "If Samuel Beckett's Watt and Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita were not so funny they could not be half as serious as they are about the objects they parody. The points they make--the former about philosophy, the latter about art--are painful enough even when the authors engage in a playful game of taking forms of discourse to 'logical' conclusions that are unwelcome to those who depend on these forms to make sense of the world. Beckett addresses the futility of human philosophical and theological attempts to understand the world with something as paltry as human reason and Watt's sad schizophrenia is the medium in which such attempts are parodied. Nabokov does much the same thing for the power of narrative art by persuading readers, against their will, to be gripped by--and sometimes even sympathetic to--a story told by a lying, self-deceiving, brutal child-molester simply through the..."
A look at the themes of culture, genre and the construction of love in "Waiting for Godot" by Samuel Beckett, "The Rez Sisters" Tomson Highway and "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe.
3,150 words (approx. 12.6 pages), 3 sources, 2002, $ 115.95
Abstract This essay will argue that there are different kinds of love endorsed and criticized in each text. In general these may be grouped into two categories: (1) love for one's fellow human being; and (2) love for something transcendent of the individual, whether it be a community/culture or a deity. As will be seen, the generic conventions of drama limit the expression of meaning to characters' words and actions. However, both Beckett and Highway stretch the boundaries of convention in their dramas which, by flouting the conventional realism of the dramatic genre, permit the exploration of complex representations of love. In contrast, it may be argued that Achebe remains more within the conventions of his genre than Beckett and Highway in theirs. This is not a weakness, however, in that the novel form allows Achebe to represent human character and motivation - in terms of the manifestation of love - on levels that the dramatic genre cannot.
