While providing a critical introduction for the student of Samuel Beckett's work and for other readers and theatre-goers who have been influenced by it, this study also presents an original perspective on one of the twentieth century's greatest writers of prose fiction and drama. Andrew Kennedy links Beckett's vision of a diminished humanity with his art of formally and verbally diminished resources, and traces the fundamental simplicity and coherence of Beckett's work beneath its complex textures. In the section on the plays, Dr Kennedy stresses the humour and tragicomic humanism alongside...
While providing a critical introduction for the student of Samuel Beckett's work and for other readers and theatre-goers who have been influenced by i...
In this penetrating study Andrew Kennedy sets out to analyse the modern movement in drama through the theatrical language of six key figures writing in English - Shaw, Eliot, Beckett, Pinter, Osborne and Arden. Dr Kennedy argues that a study of theatrical language should be an exercise in 'practical criticism' and not merely narrowly linguistic. The whole range of theatrical expressiveness must be examined in detail from play text and performance alike and the conclusions correlated with the author's known intentions if a full evaluative judgement is to be attempted. Dr Kennedy shows how the...
In this penetrating study Andrew Kennedy sets out to analyse the modern movement in drama through the theatrical language of six key figures writing i...