French and English Lit, that's terrific - it's basically what I want to do. Well, maybe English literature and european languages, actually. And yes, part of the reason why I'm learning French is so that I can appreciate the French Beckett. If all goes well I'm going to do volunteer work at a French school. So your amusing phrase 'herding cats' is probably an apt description of what I'll spend my next year doing. Your summers in France put a big smile on my face; one of my dreams (and I don't have that many) is to cycle throughout the South of France for one or two months. I don't drink, so unfortunately I won't be able to appreciate the fine French wine. Where did you cycle? And would you recommend a particular route? [I still can't get over the fact that James Knowlson was your tutor. Everytime I go to his Damned to Fame just to check something about Beckett's life I end up reading not only the sought-after information but also the following 20 pages.] This priceless photo is of a very eccentric man named Daniil Kharms, a Russian absurdist writer contemporary of Beckett. Though there's no evidence that either of them read the other they share some similarities and have often been compared. If you like Beckett you'll probably find Kharms's antics hilarious, or at least intriguing. Look up "daniil kharms incidences", see the first result. Just read the first (arguably his best, and most famous too), it'll take you 20 seconds and you'll get an idea of what the tone of his stories are. I'm curious to see that 50's milkman of yours, so here's how you go about setting it up: when you're on LitNet there's this bar underneath the "Welcome, emily00" part, which has the "search" and "log out" options; in this bar click on the first name, "User CP"; then, on the left, under "Settings & Options", click on the option "Edit Avatar"; from there on it should be easy. Hope you get there despite my directions.
Thank you very much for the pointers; 'self-delusion' seems to me to be a particularly apt term to use when talking about SB. And I think I'll definitely have to skim through some Descartes, whom he seems to parody and move away from when he questions the possibility of self-awareness. Goodness gracious, the James Knowlson? I'm reading his marvellous Damned to Fame as we speak! That's a very impressive literary 'connection', I must say. Beckettwise, it could only have been better had you known SB himself. And you've taught Godot in French? Nice! So you've taught literature, then? Or French? Or both? I'm actually planning on spending my next year in France so as to learn it properly.
Thank you for your message. It is a long time since I studied Beckett, but the areas you suggest certainly seem interesting, with the proviso that insanity is difficult to define and it is rarely absolute, of course. I think that was actually what Beckett seems to be saying - i.e. our failure to achieve self-awareness, depsite our desperate efforts, is in fact part of the human tragedy. I think I would have a dig around in that area (ie self-delusion as a facet of our humanity), but I'd want it to be tied pretty tightly to the dramatic realisation on stage . The Play's the thing.... Good luck! I'm very impressed by your plans. Actually I think that if I embarked on a dissertation like that now, it would make my brain hurt. A lot. My tutor at University back in the 80s was Jim Knowlson, who he proved very useful when I was teaching 'En Attendant Godot' in French after graduating - I rang him up a few times to pick his brains. That's my one and only claim to literary 'connections'!
Greetings, fellow Beckett lover! Always nice to find someone who likes the man I'll spend my summer reading. My idea has always been to write on the 'Representations of Madness in Samuel Beckett', preferrably before he was famous (i.e. before Godot became the shizzle). I think I'll argue that he's quite sympathetic towards the insane (and show how say his multi-lingualism and other biographical elements might contribute to that outlook). I'm starting to have some doubts, however. What do you think, would I do well to look into this? I know I can count on your sincerity, I must say I take great pleasure in reading your very straightforward posts.
