Samuel Beckett in Context [Hardcover]

Provides a comprehensive exploration of Beckett's historical, cultural and philosophical contexts, offering new critical insights for scholars and general readers.This wide-ranging collection of essays from 37 renowned Beckett scholars reveals how extensively Beckett entered into dialogue with important literary traditions and the realities of his time. The essays are designed to complement each other, building a broad overview that will allow students and scholars to come away with a better sense of Beckett's life, writings, and legacy.This wide-ranging collection of essays from 37 renowned Beckett scholars reveals how extensively Beckett entered into dialogue with important literary traditions and the realities of his time. The essays are designed to complement each other, building a broad overview that will allow students and scholars to come away with a better sense of Beckett's life, writings, and legacy.When Samuel Beckett first came to international prominence with the success of Waiting for Godot, many critics believed the play was divorced from any recognizable context. The two tramps, and the master and servant they encounter, seemed to represent no one and everyone. Today, critics challenge the assumption that Beckett aimed to break definitively with context, highlighting images, allusions, and motifs that tether Becket's writings to real people, places, and issues in his life. This wide-ranging collection of essays from 37 renowned Beckett scholars reveals how extensively Beckett entered into dialogue with important literary traditions and the realities of his time. Drawing on his major works, as well as on a range of letters and theoretical notebooks, the essays are designed to complement each other, building a broad overview that will allow students and scholars to come away with a better sense of Beckett's life, writings, and legacy.Notes on contributors; Permissions and acknowledgements; Chronology; List of abbreviations; Introduction Anthony UhlmannlS*