SAMUEL BECKETT AND MONOLOGUE DRAMA: PERFORMING THE SELF

Eugen Radu WOHL

doi:10.24193/subbphilo.2018.4.12

Authors

Eugen Radu WOHL Faculty of Letters, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj, Romania. Email: eugen.wohl@ubbcluj.ro https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4131-9734

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbphilo.2018.4.12

Keywords:

Samuel Beckett, dramatic monologue, monologue drama, fractured discourse, performance.

Abstract

Samuel Beckett and Monologue Drama: Performing the Self. The paper discusses four of Samuel Beckett’s monologue plays “Krapp’s Last Tape” (1958), “Play” (1964), “Breath” (1969), “Not I” (1972) and “A Piece of Monologue” (1979), with the purpose of delineating their structure and understanding the playwright’s experimental usage of this artistic genre, as well as its role within his overall dramatic corpus. We will attempt a historical and analytical foray into the many uses of the concept of monologue in both literature and theatre, with the intention to clarify its various appropriations in these fields and with the hope of eliciting further research into this important topic of analysis.

Rezumat. Samuel Beckett și monologul teatral: Performarea sinelui. Lucrarea discută monologurile teatrale ale lui Samuel Beckett, “Ultima bandă a lui Krapp” (1958), “Joc” (1964), “Respirație” (1969), “Nu eu” (1972) și “Un fragment de monolog” (1979), cu scopul de a le delimita structura, modul unic prin care dramaturgul înțelege să se raporteze la acest gen dramatic, precum și rolul lor în ansamblul operei lui Beckett. Speranța noastră este ca aceast demers de cercetare a monologului, așa cum e înțeles în literatură și teatru, va reuși să stimuleze cercetări ulterioare asupra acestui subiect de analiză.

Cuvinte cheie: Samuel Beckett, monolog dramatic, drama monologată, discurs fracturat, performance.

Author Biography

Eugen Radu WOHL, Faculty of Letters, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj, Romania. Email: eugen.wohl@ubbcluj.ro

Eugen Radu Wohl is Lecturer at the Department of Foreign Languages for Specific Purposes from the Faculty of Letters, Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj, Romania and a theatre critic (IATC member) whose professional activities include collaborations with several cultural and academic publications and translations of contemporary plays from English to Romanian. He has a BA degree in English and Romanian literature and language, a BA and MA in Theatre Studies, and a PhD in Comparative Literature and Theatre. Email: eugen.wohl@ubbcluj.ro

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