The Plays of Samuel Beckett

by Eugene Webb

Overview

In The Plays of Samuel Beckett Eugene Webb first summarizes the western philosophical tradition which has culminated in the void—the centuries of attempts to impose form and meaning on existence, the failure of which has left experience in fragments and man a stranger in an unintelligible universe. Succeeding chapters take up the plays work by work, interpreting each individually and tracing recurrent motifs, themes, and images to show the continuity in the underlying tendencies of Beckett's mind and art.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780295952024
Publisher:	University of Washington Press
Publication date:	02/01/1973
Series:	Washington Paperback Ser.
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Eugene Webb is professor emeritus in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.

Table of Contents

I Introduction: Beckett and the Philosophical Tradition of the Absurd 13

II Waiting for Godot 26

III All That Fall 42

IV Endgame 54

V Krapp's Last Tape 66

VI Embers 77

VII Two Mimes: Act Without Words I and Act Without Words II 86

VIII Happy Days 91

IX Words and Music 102

X Cascando 109

XI Trios: Play and Come and Go 113

XII Film 120

XIII Eh Joe 127

XIV A General View 131

Notes 143

List of First Performances 149

Bibliography 151

Index 157

Editorial Reviews

A thematic study of Beckett's dramatic output--plays, mimes, and film--done with clarity and sensitivity.

-- "Booklist"

Sensitive, well-ordered, and fascinating study of Beckett's plays. . . . Webb's ability to evaluate, to synthesize, and to probe Beckett's thought in the light of universal and eternal philosophies makes his volumes essential for libraries and for those haunted by Beckett's work.

-- "Library Journal"

From the Publisher

A thematic study of Beckett's dramatic output—plays, mimes, and film—done with clarity and sensitivity.

Booklist