11,642 research outputs found
Writing and the rights of reality: usurpation and potentiality in Derrida, Plato, Nietzsche, and Beckett
Get PDFThe thesis critically evaluates Jacques Derrida's conferral of the rights of reality on writing, focussing on his theory of an arche-text in light of the speculative nature of this theory. The theory is initially considered in the context of Derrida's elucidation of the usurpatory status of writing within the Platonic and Nietzschean texts. This consideration reveals an admission of writing's usurpatory status by both writers while at the same time demonstrating their awareness of the intrinsically speculative nature of this view, the significance of writing lying in its ability to exteriorise the radically indeterminate status of consciousness m relation to reality rather than its ability to displace consciousness or reality The analyses, therefore, not only bring the Derridean hypothesis of a repressive or phonocentric metaphysical episteme into question but also exhibit the historical and philosophical role of potentiality in relation to writing, writing's ultimate significance lying in its capacity to exteriorise our existence as a mode of potentiality. Accordingly, in the second half of the thesis the Derridean theory of writing is countered with a specifically Aristotelian theory of the text as it is exhibited in the prose of Samuel Beckett, an author whose significance lies in his close alignment with Derridean theory within contemporary criticism. It is demonstrated that this identification has obviated an awareness of the significance of potentiality within the Beckettian text, his work consequently being appraised in the previously neglected context of Aristotelian metaphysics
Samuel Beckett and the Writers of Port-Royal
Get PDFIt has been observed that ‘the literary influences on Beckett have been far more important than has been acknowledged, and more important indeed, than the philosophical influences’ (Smith 2002: 3). The truth of this statement is evidenced by the description that scholars have given of Samuel Beckett’s relationship to seventeenth century French classicism. To date, critical interest has been limited for the most part to the figure of the philosopher René Descartes on the (fragile) grounds that Beckett was exclusively concerned with the Cartesian imperative of clarity and order, the fundamental dualism between body and mind, and Nominalism.
Together with the assumption that Beckett’s vision was essentially Cartesian, his literary filiation with Pascal was suggested by critics, but only in terms of Beckett’s formal approach to the theatre. In his short article on En attendant Godot in 1953, the playwright Jean Anouilh was among the first reviewers to suggest that Beckett’s drama synthesizes the encounter between ‘classicism’ and a ‘modern’ form of art. It is well known that Beckett retained a lifelong admiration for Pascal – indeed, Pascal was one of his ‘old chestnuts’ (Knowlson 1997: 653). Little attention has been paid, however, to the originality of Pascal’s thought, the specific nature of his prose, and the impact these might have had upon Beckett’s mature work, especially the trilogy and the subsequent short prose. Yet, in the literary and philosophical context of post-war France, Beckett’s filiation with Pascal, their corresponding preoccupations, were evident to his contemporaries, who identified Pascal as an underlying presence in his works
Christopher Ricks : Beckett' Dying Words
No full textFierobe Claude. Christopher Ricks : Beckett' Dying Words. In: Études irlandaises, n°19-1, 1994. pp. 197-198
Sechs moderne Theaterstücke : Samuel Beckett, Christopher Hampton, Peter Handke, Gerlind Reinshagen, Botho Strauss, Anton Tschechow.
No full textRockaby/ Samuel Beckett; Geschichten aus Hollywood/ Christopher Hampton; Über die Dörfer/ Peter Handke; Eisenherz/ Gerlind Reinshagen; Kalldewey, Farce/ Botho Strauss; Der Kirschgarten/Anton Tschecho
In Richtung Delogozentrismus : eine Studie der dramatischen Arbeiten von Samuel Beckett, Tom Stoppard und Caryl Churchill
No full textThe relation between reality and language, the instability of language as a signification system, the representation crisis, and the borders of interpretation are the controversial issues that have engaged not only philosophers, but also many authors, translators, and literary critics. Some philosophers like Derrida accuse Western thinking of being obsessed with binary oppositions. In Derrida's view, Western tradition resorts to external references as God, truth, origin, center and reason to stabilize the signification system. Since these concepts lack an internal sense and there is no transcendental signified that can fix these signifiers, language turns to an instable system by means of which no fixed meaning can be created. Many authors like Beckett, Stoppard, and Caryl Churchill also noticed this impossibility of language. While Derrida's deconstructive approach to this crisis has an epistemological nature, these playwrights present an aesthetic solution by turning the deconstructive potential of language against itself in text and performance. This dissertation aims at exploring their performing methods and dramatic texts to demonstrate how their delogocentric strategies work. By analyzing their plays, I will examine if their use of signifiers that have no references in reality, intentional misconceptions, disintegrated subjectivities, decentered narratives, and experimental performances can help them undermine the prevailing logocentrism of Western thought. The examination of the change in aesthetic strategies from Beckett, who belongs to earlier stages of post modernism, to Caryl Churchill, who should perform in a globalized world with increasing dominance of speed and information, is another aim of this research. In my view,Beckett's obsession with unspeakable, absurdity, and disintegration of subjectivity develops to Stoppard's language games, metadrama, and anti-representation and culminates in Churchill's anti-narrative texts and pluralistic performances. The monophony of Beckett's dramatic texts is replaced by the polyphony of Churchill's performances, which are a mixture of theater, dance and music. However, all explored dramatic texts in this dissertation have something in common: they are language games, which have no claim on a faithful representation of reality or transcendental truth.Der Zusammenhang der Realität mit der Sprache, die Unstabilität der Sprache als ein Signifikationssystem, die Repräsentationkrise, und die Grenze der Interpretation sind die Streitpunkte, die nicht nur die zeitgenössischen Philosophen sondern auch viele Autoren beschäftigt haben. Manche Philosophen wie Derrida unterstellen, dass das westliche Denken das Wort als Sinträger betrachtet. Seiner Meinung nach beruht der Logozentrismus des abendländischen Denkens auf binärer Opposition oder externer Referenz wie der Präsenz von Gott, Wahrheit, Ursprung, Ursache, Transzendenz oder einem Zentrum. Da alle diese Begriffe ohne eigentlichen Inhalt sind, und es kein transzendentales Signifikat gibt, auf das alle diese Signifikanten jeweils verweisen, wird die Sprache zu einem unstabilen Signifikationssystem, deren Mittel keine fixierbare Bedeutung erschaffen wird. Aus dieser Problematik kommt eine Repräsentationkrise, die nicht nur die Philosophie sondern auch die Literatur betrifft. Ob und wie man gegen die Grenze der Sprache anrennen kann, ist nicht nur eine philosophische, sondern auch eine ästhetische Frage. Während die Antwort der Philosophen wie Derrida eine dekonstruktive Annäherung zur logozentrischen Interpretationen ist, schlägt die Literatur eine ästhetische Lösung vor: die Darstellung der Sprachkrise mittels der Sprache. Kann uns das experimentelle Kunstwerk der Autoren wie Samuel Beckett, Tom Stoppard und Caryl Churchill von der Illusion der Wirklichkeit befreien? Ist es möglich eine anti-erzählenden Erzählung zu schaffen, die die Dominanz des beherrschenden Diskurses abschaffen kann? Diese Fragen zu erforschen visiert diese Dissertation an. Die ersten Versuche dieser Autoren gegen pure Repräsentation richten sich an neue Phantasiequellen außerhalb der Realität. Dramatiker wie Beckett, Stoppard und Churchill nutzen die Eigendynamik der Sprache als eine Quelle um ihren Funktionsausfall darzustellen. Die Signifikate, die sich auf keine wirkliche Signifikante beziehen, die Charakteren, für die es kein Duplikat in der Realität gibt, die zerbrochene Subjektivität, die sich nicht mittels Sprache äußern kann, die Handlung, der es an Einheit oder auch Beschlussunfähigkeit mangelt, und schließlich die Sprache die nicht mehr eine ordentliche Sprache ist, stellen das Mittel, das diese Dramatiker für die Dekonstruktion der Sprache und des Textes brauchen. Diese Arbeit wird versuchen bei der Analyse ihrer Theaterstücke aufzuzeigen, wie die Methode, die diese Autoren genutzt haben, sich im Lauf der Zeit geändert hat. Becketts Besessenheit mit dem Unsprechbaren, der Sinnlosigkeit oder zerstörter Subjektivität steigert sich zu undeutlicher Sprache, Identitätsverlust und Antirepräsentation bei Stoppard und kulminiert in Destrukturierung des Narrativs und der Sprache bei Churchill. Die Einstimmigkeit von Becketts Werken ist durch die Polyphonie von Churchills Theaterstücke, die eine Mischung aus Theater, Tanz und Musik sind, ersetzt worden. Alle Theaterstücke, die in dieser Arbeit analysiert wurden haben jedoch eine gemeinsame Eigenschaft: Sie sind Sprachspiele, die keinen Anspruch auf Realitätstreue oder transzendentale Wahrheit haben
Music and language in the work of Samuel Beckett.
Get PDFAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN009584 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo
Interview with Nicholas Christopher, author of Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American City
Get PDFInterview with Nicholas Christopher, author of Somewhere in the Night: Film Noir and the American Cit
Beckett and the Philosopher
No full textThis thesis is a three-part study exploring the challenges involved in reading Samuel Beckett. Starting with the problems philosophy has had in understanding his work, the study investigates the possibility of, and ultimately encourages, a meditative reading
Matt Christopher Papers - Accession 1309
Get PDFThe collection includes letters written by the children’s book author, Matt Christopher, to his son, Marty Christopher. Many of the letters also contain newspaper articles of interest to Matt Christopher, which deal with local sports teams, his writing career, his participation in an exhibition baseball game against the New York Giants in 1938, and other of general interest. Most of the letters are personal in nature, however, a majority of the letters delve into Matt Christopher’s writing career, personal interests, the author’s health, as well as his family life.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/2649/thumbnail.jp
Matt Christopher Papers - Accession 1221
Get PDFMatt Christopher (1917-1997) was a prolific author of children’s books having written over 100 books as well as over 300 short stories, articles, poems, and screenplays. Most of his writings dealt with sports themes, but he also wrote fantasy and mystery themed stories as well. The Matt Christopher Papers consist of both published and unpublished manuscripts, articles, and short stories. Also included are personal and business correspondence, biographical information, scrapbooks, photographs, and memorabilia.https://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/manuscriptcollection_findingaids/1976/thumbnail.jp
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