Godot in Earnest: Beckettian Readings of Wilde

Critics and audiences alike have neglected the idea of Wilde as a precursor to Beckett. But I contend that a closer look at each writer's aesthetic and philosophic tendencies-for instance, their interest in the fluid nature of self, their understanding of identity as a performance, and their belief in language as both a way in and a way out of stagnancy -will connect them in surprising and highly significant ways. This thesis will focus on the ways in which Wilde prefigures Beckett as a dramatist. Indeed, many of the themes that Beckett, free from the constraints of a censor and from the societal restrictions of Victorian England, unabashedly details in his drama are to be found residing obscurely in Wilde. Understanding Beckett's major dramatic themes and motifs therefore yields new strategies for reading Wilde.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of North Texas

Year dc:date

2003

Author dc:creator

• Tucker, Amanda

Contributors dc:contributor

• Holdeman, David
• Peters, John G.
• Simpkins, Scott, 1958-

• Beckett, Samuel, 1906-1989 -- Criticism and interpretation.
• Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900 -- Criticism and interpretation.
• language
• dramatic themes
• performance
• Irish literature

Statement dc:rights

• Use restricted to UNT Community
• Copyright
• Tucker, Amanda
• Copyright is held by the author, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.

Language dc:language

English

Identifier

oclc: 53473612
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4248/
ark: ark:/67531/metadc4248

OAI identifier oai:identifier

info:ark/67531/metadc4248