Samuel Beckett's Use of The Theatre of the Asburd.

[fearb4dustin]

I am in Advanced English 12 and I have been given the assignment to complete a 7-page research paper on either a British or Irish Literature author. I chose Samuel Beckett. Our teacher told us to be specific, so I chose to write about his use of the Theatre of the Absurd. I am kind of stuck in how I should go about writing this paper.

I've been trying to come up with questions I can pose for my paper and answer them. So far, I've got two.

1. What is the Theatre of the Absurd?
2. How is the Theatre of the Asburd used in his works?

Can someone provide some help on my situation? I'm having a hard time thinking about what I can write about that will cover 6-7 pages and still stay on the topic.

Thanks,
Dustin

[johann cruyff]

I guess Wikipedia would be a good place to start.I have read some works by Beckett,Adamov and Ionesco who are,to my knowledge,representatives of The Theatre of the Absurd - and I liked it.So,you could try reading some of these other authors as well(the plays are not very long) and compare them to Beckett?Just a thought...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_the_absurd

[JBI]

Thank you for asking me to do your assignment for you, I'm so happy you think so highly of me. Question though, have you ever read anything written by Beckett? IF you haven't read Waiting for Godot, than I don't think you have much of a right to ask us questions, seeing as how you didn't even start your project. That being said though, if you ask me about a certain point, or to clarify something specific, I perhaps may answer you as best I can, but when you decide to do a specific thing, you can't exactly ask for us to answer your assignment for you. If you didn't know what theatre of the absurd is, why did you choose that topic? Either way though, this isn't a research center, it is a discussion center. At least look it up on google or something.

[fearb4dustin]

Thank you for asking me to do your assignment for you, I'm so happy you think so highly of me. Question though, have you ever read anything written by Beckett? IF you haven't read Waiting for Godot, than I don't think you have much of a right to ask us questions, seeing as how you didn't even start your project. That being said though, if you ask me about a certain point, or to clarify something specific, I perhaps may answer you as best I can, but when you decide to do a specific thing, you can't exactly ask for us to answer your assignment for you. If you didn't know what theatre of the absurd is, why did you choose that topic? Either way though, this isn't a research center, it is a discussion center. At least look it up on google or something.

I would've expected you to reply in a much more mature manner. I've already gathered 11 resources and studied the Theatre of the Absurd to a certain degree. I am merely seeking some help on some of the points I could make in my paper. The point of my teacher assigning me this paper was to choose something which I knew little or nothing about. And while I realize that this isn't a research center, I am asking for ideals to discuss in my paper. My topic isn't exactly very easy for me since I do not read much literature at all.

If it is any consolation to you, JBI, I apologize for asking for help.

[quasimodo1]

...digressing: I don't think Beckett thought of his work as absurdist. He was awarded the Nobel for best describing the desperation of "modern man". That's not to say it doesn't seem absurd as in "Ashes". Reading "Murphy" is almost a documentary experience.

[Kafka's Crow]

Two words: Martin Esslin (Beckett's friend, Beckett's ban who started all this Theatre of the Absurd absurdity).
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theatre-Absu...6817787&sr=8-1

[kandaurov]

Here you go, sport, hope it's of any help (at least the term "absurd" appears 7 times, and though I didn't actually read it through it may give you a good insight, I mean the guy spent 45 years studying Beckett)

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/symplok...1federman.html

By the way, it's Project MUSE material, so you may have to be on a university computer to read it. If you're really interested in it, though, I can post it as a thread or something. I think it's okay to do it since this forum is for educational purposes.

[quasimodo1]

Your "Project Muse" has restricted access; still I don't think there is a problem with use of the word absurd in describing aspects of Beckett's work. My view is that HE did not see his writing as absurd, especially as belonging to "Theatre of the Absurd" genre. You can have characters doing absurd things in an absurd backround in a completely realistic work.

[JBI]

I would've expected you to reply in a much more mature manner. I've already gathered 11 resources and studied the Theatre of the Absurd to a certain degree. I am merely seeking some help on some of the points I could make in my paper. The point of my teacher assigning me this paper was to choose something which I knew little or nothing about. And while I realize that this isn't a research center, I am asking for ideals to discuss in my paper. My topic isn't exactly very easy for me since I do not read much literature at all.

If it is any consolation to you, JBI, I apologize for asking for help.

I'm immature? If you have already gathered 11 resources, and studied the Theatre of the Absurd why not write your paper? You post saying a) what is the Theatre of the Absurd, and b) how is the Theatre of the Absurd used in his works. If you have read any of his work, or the 11 resources you have mentioned, you would know the answer to that question (assuming you know how to research and your sources are legitimate).

I would also note that this is your first post here. Essentially it would seem you created an account to get help on a project which was assigned to you. You didn't propose any direct questions, but instead asked the most general possible questions, providing the (you would claim) illusion that you had not begun any form of a research.

You say you need 7 pages to cover (we will assume these are standard single spaced). Your 11 sources, as you have stated you have, should be enough, considering the wide range of Beckett's work, and the large content in Absurd literature.

[quasimodo1]

To fearb4dustin: JBI makes legitimate complaints but it's not relenting if the tip is obvious, yes? Your case for absurdist mind-set in any of Beckett in my view is not well founded. But your paper could make use of the many absurd (or perhaps desperate) character traits in the plays and novels, not to mention the extremely bizarre habits of these characters. e.g.: using a crutch to ride a bike, keeping sucking stones in your pocketts etc. Apologies, JBI.

[antiprefix]

Theater of the Absurd remains my favorite genre of literature. The concept therein is that people cannot communicate to each other, and, furthermore, that life is meaningless. Absurdist authors completely deconstruct language in order to convey this message, i.e. Ionesco's Rhinoceros. Tristan Tzara's The Gas Heart moreso demonstrates a complete absence of coherency. Absurdist plays tend to become repetitive, but I think you'll enjoy Beckett's Waiting for Godot and Endgame very much. Endgame also has an interesting story behind it; apparently, Beckett's idea of Endgame developed from playing hypermodern chess with Marcel Duchamp. The play mirrors the obscure style of chess.

[fearb4dustin]

Thanks for all the help, everyone.

And I will try to end this little debacle between me and JBI. I don't want you to answer those questions for me. Those are the questions I want to answer in my paper. I already know the answers to them. I am just looking for more unique questions to pose in my paper. I am not asking you to answer those, once again. Those are just the 2 main questions I have so far that I will answer in my paper. I was hoping some of you guys would help me think of some more interesting and unique questions that I could answer in my paper. I haven't had any new ideas for questions yet.

P.S. I just got my wisdom teeth removed 2 days ago from today. I'm just asking for a little bit of help. Once again, JBI... I'm sorry.