In the wake of so many other keys to the treasure, whoever undertakes still another book of criticism on the novels and drama of Samuel Beckett must assume the grave burden of justifying the attempt, especially for him who like one of John Barth's recent fictional characterizations of himself, believes that the key to the treasure is the treasure itself. No one will ever have the privilege of the last word on these texts, since any words other than the author's own found therein must be referred back to the text themselves for cautious verification. Indeed, the words the author has used to...

Texts on Texts and Textuality argues the case for an American phenomenology as applied to works of literary artworks. The argument is made by a surrounding frame (the Preface and the Afterword) that encloses ten chapters. The chapters are divided into two parts: the phenomenological theory and practical criticism. In making his case, Kaelin traces the development in the American academic tradition from the American New Criticism through structuralism to the French nouvelle critique. He calls his theory phenomenological structuralism, and shows its derivation from American...