Beckett and Contemporary Irish Writing

246 Pages·2009·14.36 MB·English

by  Stephen Watt

STEPHEN WATT
Beckett
and Contemporary
Trish Writing
Introduction: Beckett, our contemporary
. Beckett and the “Beckettian” -
. The Northern Ireland “Troubles” play
and Brian Friel’s Beckettian turn
. Bernard MacLayerty:
the “Troubles”, late modernism, and the Beckettian
. “Getting round” Beckett:
Derek Mahon and Paul Muldoon
. Specters of Beckett: Marina Carr and the “other” Sam
Coda. On retrofitting: Samuel Beckett,
tourist attraction
Accession no. ce
36125698
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2022 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/oeckettcontempord000watt
BECKERT AND CONTEMPORARY
IRISH WRITING
Samuel Beckett is one of the most important figures in the history of
Irish literature and he continues to influence successive generations
of writers. In Beckett and Contemporary Irish Writing, Stephen Watt
searches for the “Beckettian” impulse in Irish literature by tracing the
Nobel Prize winner’s legacy through a rich selection of contemporary
novelists, poets, and dramatists. Watt examines leading figures such as
Paul Muldoon, Brian Friel, Marina Carr, and Bernard MacLaverty,
and shows how Beckett’s presence, whether openly acknowledged or
unstated, is always thoroughly pervasive. Moving on to an exploration
of Beckett’s role in the twenty-first century, the study discusses ways in
which this legacy can be reshaped to deal with current concerns that
extend beyond literature. Encouraging us to think about Beckett’s
work and status in new ways, this landmark study will be required
reading for scholars and students of Beckett and Irish studies.
STEPHEN WATT is Professor of English, Theatre, and Drama at
Indiana University, Bloomington.
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BECKETT AND
CONTEMPORARY IRISH
WRITING
STEPHEN WATT
| Date [Fund
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EY CAMBRIDGE
:E9 UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, Sao Paulo, Delhi
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge ca2 8ru, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521519588
© Stephen Watt 2009
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 2009
Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-0-521-51958-8 hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for
the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or
third-party internet websites referred to in this book,
and does not guarantee that any content on such
websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.
Contents
List of illustrations page vi
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction Beckett, our contemporary I
Chapter 1 Beckett and the “Beckettian” 14
Chapter 2 The Northern Ireland “Troubles” Play and Brian
Friel’s Beckettian turn 61
Chapter 3 Bernard MacLaverty: The “Troubles,” late
modernism, and the Beckettian 92
Chapter 4 “Getting round” Beckett: Derek Mahon and
Paul Muldoon 125
Chapter 5 Specters of Beckett: Marina Carr and the
“other” Sam 166
Coda On retrofitting: Samuel Beckett, tourist attraction 192
Bibliography 210
Index 221
[Illustrations
Figure 1 Mary Farl Powers, Emblements (1981). Reprinted by
permission of the Estate of Mary Farl Powers. Source:
Robert W. Woodruff Library, Emory University. page 151
Figure 2 Cover, Paul Muldoon, The Annals of Chile (1994).
Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus and Giroux 159
Figure 3 Irish Nobel Laureates in Literature (2004). Reprinted
by permission of Sweden Post Stamps
199
vi