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SLM 10 PPT 1

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) was an Irish playwright and novelist who significantly influenced 20th century literature and theater. Some of his most famous works explored existentialist themes of absurdity and meaninglessness through minimalist styles and dark humor. His play Waiting for Godot, about two men waiting endlessly for someone named Godot, brought him fame and established his reputation in the emerging Theater of the Absurd movement. Other plays like Endgame and Krapp's Last Tape also subverted conventions through sparse staging and gloomy tones. In addition to plays, Beckett wrote experimental novels that examined language, identity, and human limits. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1969 and left a lasting legacy

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65 views18 pages

SLM 10 PPT 1

Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) was an Irish playwright and novelist who significantly influenced 20th century literature and theater. Some of his most famous works explored existentialist themes of absurdity and meaninglessness through minimalist styles and dark humor. His play Waiting for Godot, about two men waiting endlessly for someone named Godot, brought him fame and established his reputation in the emerging Theater of the Absurd movement. Other plays like Endgame and Krapp's Last Tape also subverted conventions through sparse staging and gloomy tones. In addition to plays, Beckett wrote experimental novels that examined language, identity, and human limits. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1969 and left a lasting legacy

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anushkamahraj1998
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Samuel Beckett

Part A
Introduction

● Beckett is a major existentialist writer


● Waiting for Godot is his masterpiece.
● He has also written important prose works
Objectives
After studying this unit you will be able to:
● Assess Beckett’s worth as a playwright
● Examine the trajectory of his important (prose) works.
His life

● Born on April 13, 1906 in Dublin, Ireland


● Early academic career before switching to writing
● Influenced by Irish and French existentialist literature
Early works

● Early novels like "Murphy" (1938) and "Molloy" (1951)


● Combined dark humor and inventive language
● Explored absurdity and the human condition
Theatre of Absurd

● Wrote the play "Waiting for Godot" in 1953


● Catapulted him into Theater of the Absurd spotlight
● Estragon and Vladimir wait for the elusive Godot
His dramatic style

● Minimalist staging in "Endgame" (1957)


● Existential themes continued in this play
● Subverted conventional dramatic styles
Krapp’s Last Tape

● "Krapp's Last Tape" in 1958


● Another avant-garde theatrical experiment
● Gloomy humor and repetitive vocabulary
Beckett’s prose

● Also a prolific poet and author of prose


● Books like "The Unnamable" (1953)
● Investigated language, identity and expression
Beckett- the nobel prize winner

● Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature in 1969


● For new forms in drama and the novel
● Showing "destitution of modern man"
Beckett’s prose

● Prose trilogy: "Molloy," "Malone Dies," etc.


● Demonstrated ongoing language research
● Pushed boundaries of human expression
Beckett’s influence on theatre

● Had significant influence on theater


● And on literature more broadly
● Inspired later generations of artists
● Key features: Absurdism and minimalism
● Repetition and gloomy humor
● Existentialist themes
Waiting for Godot

● Waiting for Godot


● Estragon and Vladimir as main characters
● Representing the human condition
Endgame

● Endgame (1957)
● Minimalist staging
● Subversion of dramatic conventions
Beckett’s legacy

● Died on December 22, 1989


● Leaving literary and philosophical legacy
● Influencing theater and literature since
Summary
● Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) was an avant-garde Irish playwright, novelist and poet who had a
tremendous influence on 20th century theater and literature. After starting in academia, he turned to
writing fiction and drama heavily inspired by Irish storytelling tradition and French existentialist
philosophy.
● His early novels like "Murphy" and "Molloy" pioneered an absurdist style fusing inventive language with
dark comedy to explore the despair and meaninglessness of human existence. His 1953 play "Waiting
for Godot" brought him fame as a leading figure in the Theater of the Absurd movement. It features two
characters awaiting the elusive Godot, exemplifying Beckett's interest in existentialist themes.
● Other key Beckett plays like "Endgame" and "Krapp's Last Tape" cemented his reputation for bleak ironic
humor and minimalist staging that subverted theatrical conventions. In addition to drama he penned
experimental prose like the trilogy "Molloy", "Malone Dies" and "The Unnamable" at the height of his
career. They delved further into questions of language, subjectivity and the limits of expression.
● In 1969 Beckett received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his modernist contributions across drama and
fiction that captured the angst and despair of human condition. He exerted tremendous influence on 20th
century avant-garde aesthetics with his unique brand of absurdism, repetition, melancholy atmosphere
and existential contemplation. Key Beckettian theatrical works explored here include Waiting For Godot,
Endgame and Krapp’s Last Tape.
● Throughout his boundary-pushing writings Beckett investigated the subjective experience of time, space,
memory and identity in language, revolutionizing literature before his death in 1989 and leaving a legacy
Happy learning

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