Beckett and Authority: The Uses of Cliché PDF
Preview Beckett and Authority: The Uses of Cliché
Beckett and Authority This page intentionally left blank Beckett and Authority ´ The Uses of Cliche Elizabeth Barry ©ElizabethBarry2006 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2006 978-0-230-00833-5 Allrightsreserved.Noreproduction,copyortransmissionofthis publicationmaybemadewithoutwrittenpermission. Noparagraphofthispublicationmaybereproduced,copiedortransmitted savewithwrittenpermissionorinaccordancewiththeprovisionsofthe Copyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988,orunderthetermsofanylicence permittinglimitedcopyingissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgency, 90TottenhamCourtRoad,LondonW1T4LP. Anypersonwhodoesanyunauthorizedactinrelationtothispublication maybeliabletocriminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages. Theauthorhasassertedherrighttobeidentified astheauthorofthisworkinaccordancewiththeCopyright, DesignsandPatentsAct1988. Firstpublished2006by PALGRAVEMACMILLAN Houndmills,Basingstoke,HampshireRG216XSand 175FifthAvenue,NewYork,N.Y.10010 Companiesandrepresentativesthroughouttheworld PALGRAVEMACMILLANistheglobalacademicimprintofthePalgrave MacmillandivisionofSt.Martin’sPress,LLCandofPalgraveMacmillanLtd. Macmillan(cid:2)isaregisteredtrademarkintheUnitedStates,UnitedKingdom andothercountries.PalgraveisaregisteredtrademarkintheEuropean Unionandothercountries. Thisbookisprintedonpapersuitableforrecyclingandmadefromfully managedandsustainedforestsources. AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Barry,Elizabeth,1972(cid:3) Beckettandauthority:theusesofcliche´/ElizabethBarry. p. cm. Thisworkinvestigatestherelationshipbetweenverbalcliche´, memoryandauthorityinBeckett’sproseandtheatre,andargues thatbyconsciouslymanipulatingthelanguageofcliche´s,Beckett challengesintellectual,socialandreligiousauthorityandargues forthecreativevalueofstupidity,akeyconceptinthethinking ofphilosopherssuchasWittgensteinandDeleuze. Includesbibliographicalreferences(p.)andindex. 1. Beckett,Samuel,1906(cid:3)1989“Criticismandinterpretation. 2. Beckett,Samuel,1906(cid:3)1989“Philosophy. 3. Beckett,Samuel, 1906(cid:3)1989“Literarystyle. 4. Philosophyinliterature. 5. Authority inliterature. 6. Stupidityinliterature. 7. Discourseanalysis,Literary. I. Title. PR6003.E282Z5662006 848(cid:2).91409“dc22 2006046380 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 For Pat and Jim Barry This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix ListofAbbreviations x Introduction 1 I Whatiscliche´? 3 II Cliche´ andphilosophy 5 III Cliche´ andrhetoric 10 IV Cliche´ andaesthetics 15 V Cliche´ andterror 21 VI Cliche´ andthebody:AfterRicks 24 VII Beckettandcliche´ 26 1 Cliche´,ConsensusandRealism 30 I Beckett,verisimilitudeandtheearlyfiction 30 II Beyondrealism:Towardsthelaterwork 50 2 Cliche´ andMemory 65 I Introduction:Memoryandautomatism 65 II Rememberingandimaginingthings 69 III Culture,memoryandthebody 84 3 Cliche´,AutobiographyandEpitaph 93 I Whattimewilltell 94 II Themythofhindsight:Beyondtheend inBeckett’stheatre 108 4 Cliche´ andtheLanguageofReligion 123 I Introduction:HolyWrit 123 II FallenlanguageandMolloy 131 III Willingandnilling:Godandhumanvolition 135 IV Thedocileherd:Religionandsocialconformity inthelaterwork 139 V Voiceandincarnation 149 VI Theatre,voiceanddivinecommunication 156 5 BeyondCliche´:Authority,AgencyandtheFallofRhetoric 162 I Introduction:Condemnedtolife 162 II Figuresofauthority 165 vii viii Contents III Agencyandtheundoingofrhetoric 181 IV Beyondthefigural:Thelaterwork 196 V Beyondcliche´:ThebodyandthelawinBeckett’stheatre 203 Notes 209 Bibliography 218 Index 228 Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the generosity of the AHRC, whose Research Grantallowedmetocompletethisbook,andtheDepartmentofEnglishat theUniversityofWarwick,whichgrantedmetheleavetodoso.Inparticular, at Warwick, I would like to thank Michael Bell, whose tactful suggestions had a profound effect on the development of the argument, and Thomas Docherty for his generous advice on work related to this project. I am also extremelygratefultoColinDavisofRoyalHolloway,UniversityofLondon, andTomPaulinofHertfordCollege,Oxford,fortheirexpertguidancewith theOxfordD.Phil.thesiswhichprovidedtheoriginalideabehindthisstudy. StevenConnorhasalsogivenenormouslyusefuladviceontheprojectinall its incarnations. I want to thank the staff of the Bodleian Library, Oxford, andtheReadingBeckettArchive,inparticularJulianGarforthandMikeBott, for all their help. James Knowlson and, more recently, Matthew Feldman havealsoprovidedinvaluableknowledgeaboutallthingsregardingBeckett. ManythankstootoHelenCraineandPaulaKennedyatPalgraveMacmillan, and Vidya Vijayan at Integra, for their patience and efficiency in bringing theprojecttocompletion. On a more personal level, the greatest debt in all senses is owed to Pat and Jim Barry, who supported me through the early days of the project and have been unfailingly encouraging throughout. I also want to thank Richard Serjeantson, Ingrid Wassenaar, Julia Waters, Tim Milnes, Michael Whitworth and Anna Richards for reading parts of the draft manuscript, andCharlotteWright,GwenBarry,ZaminIqbal,MadelineSpokesandmany otherfriendsfortheirmoreindirectsupport.JennyFrithhasbeenaninspir- ationthroughoutthewritingofthisworkandineveryothersphereoflife. Finally, I want to thank Andrew Fitzgibbon for his boundless enthusiasm andfaith,forbeingunforgivingasaproofreaderandforbeingforgivingof somuchelse. TheAHRCfundspostgraduatetrainingandresearchintheartsandhuman- ities, from archaeology and English literature to design and dance. The qualityandrangeofresearchsupportednotonlyprovidessocialandcultural benefitsbutalsocontributestotheeconomicsuccessoftheUK.Forfurther informationontheAHRC,pleaseseeourwebsitewww.ahrc.ac.uk ix
The list of books you might like
