Define Books Supposing The Complete Dramatic Works
| Original Title: | The Complete Dramatic Works |
| ISBN: | 0571144861 (ISBN13: 9780571144860) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Obie for Best Play (1964) |
Samuel Beckett
Paperback | Pages: 480 pages Rating: 4.43 | 1644 Users | 78 Reviews
Specify Regarding Books The Complete Dramatic Works
| Title | : | The Complete Dramatic Works |
| Author | : | Samuel Beckett |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 480 pages |
| Published | : | 1990 by Faber & Faber (first published September 1st 1961) |
| Categories | : | Plays. Drama. Theatre. European Literature. Irish Literature. Literature. 20th Century |
Rendition To Books The Complete Dramatic Works
I am somewhat tempted, at the risk of being highly pretentious, to right a Beckett-style to review to this Beckett compendium. Fortunately, I'm not sure I really have the knack, thus sparing me from the absurdity.I have given this two stars. I'm not sure why because I absolutely love Beckett, despite being at complete right angles to his philosophy. So it may be that. Or it may be that, like modern art, one could point at it and say, "A three-year-old could have done that!" Which is sometimes true. But not generally.
Beckett's work is nihilism. It is a statement of nothing; I would say an "incarnation" or "apotheosis" of nothing, but that would be a contradiction. Don't try to read a deep meaning into Beckett's plays, because you won't find any, and the reason that you won't find any is quite simple. There isn't any. Beckett isn't poking fun at people who think there is, because that would be to say something at all. I would say that this is the "whole point", but there isn't any point for it to be the whole of.
But all this is nonsense, because there is lots going on. There is darkness, and confusion, and pain, and power, and cruelty, and loss; there are hints of a half-remembered past flitting away as the horror of the present presses forward into the dimness of the future, all to be consumed by the cruel tyrant of ... nothing.
This is the situation in which, he claims, we all live; this is all that we have, and that "all" is nothing. We all live on that stage, in whatever absurd and dismal situation, watched by the confused who cannot see themselves on the playwright's mirror, because all they have seen hitherto is a distortion; or perhaps they are surprised that all they can see in that mirror is nothing.
Don't go calling this, or any part of it, a masterpiece. A masterpiece is something; it is an achievement, and it is to give it a false meaning, as if you or your opinions were more than nothing. Don't call it genius, or witty. Just call it, no more a waste of time than any of our other diversions, when it will all come to nothing.
Depressed yet? Oh, no. You wait until you start reading it...
Rating Regarding Books The Complete Dramatic Works
Ratings: 4.43 From 1644 Users | 78 ReviewsWeigh Up Regarding Books The Complete Dramatic Works
I never appreciated Beckett until I watched Beckett. I've been reading him for years, and every time it's felt the same: someone has tied a noose around my neck and they just keep tightening it. And then I saw Krapp's Last Tape with Michael Gambon. The awareness of a live performance made the hyper-awareness of Beckett's writing pop from the page, so that when something is said, it is with a pointed beauty. He makes you feel awkward and uncomfortable, susceptible to your environment and theI am somewhat tempted, at the risk of being highly pretentious, to right a Beckett-style to review to this Beckett compendium. Fortunately, I'm not sure I really have the knack, thus sparing me from the absurdity.I have given this two stars. I'm not sure why because I absolutely love Beckett, despite being at complete right angles to his philosophy. So it may be that. Or it may be that, like modern art, one could point at it and say, "A three-year-old could have done that!" Which is sometimes
Only read waiting for Godot and could not finish the Endgame. But have to say Godot is a unique thing, like the fable. More you think about it more you get it. I think it has to be the reference book for everyone, like Bible is for some people.
Waiting for Godot is often cited as either the greatest play or the most influential play of the 20th century. Theres no denying its influence, but I have a hard time seeing the greatness of the play -- let alone the qualities in it that made Beckett famous. Unlike most people, I take Beckett at his word. The play is not allegory for anything. They are not waiting for god or salvation or Irish freedom or the Id, its not an allegory for the cold war or Jungian personalities or Christian
As the title says, this contains all of Samuel Beckett's works, including his famous and all-around masterpiece Waiting for Godot. The first few are awesome, but the little ones tend to blend together. Beckett's style is one of those distinctive styles that is so him that all his work in a place like this seems so similar, much like Ramones songs if one may pardon the comparison. Also not very easy to read. Beckett used many silences and many emotions and gestures that make reading them a
I bought this volume after seeing a production of Krapp's Last Tape, because the play moved me, and I wanted to muse on it further. I may or may not ever read the rest of the volume! I suspect Beckett and I won't always get along very well. :-) So anyway, please consider this a partial review that I may or may not add to in the future. Krapp's Last Tape: 5 stars. A short and fascinating play, recently brought to memorable life for me by actor Richard Wilson and director Polly Findlay. It was
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