Samuel Beckett: History, Memory, Archive »

Seán Kennedy is Assistant Professor of English at Saint Mary’s University. Katherine Weiss is Assistant Professor of English at East Tennessee State University.

This volume comprises ten essays challenging the dominant account of Samuel Beckett’s engagement with history. As the first full-length volume to address the historical debate in Beckett studies, Samuel Beckett: History, Memory, Archive provides both ground-breaking analysis of the major works as well as a sustained interrogation of the critical assumptions that underpin Beckett studies more generally. Drawing on a range of archival materials, and situating Beckett in historical context, these essays pose a strong challenge to the prevailing critical consensus that he was a deracinated modernist who cannot be read historically.

Introduction Beckett in history, memory, archive Sean Kennedy Kennedy, Sean 1

1 Does Beckett studies require a subject? : mourning Ireland in the Texts for nothing Sean Kennedy Kennedy, Sean 11

2 Between Gospel and Prohibition : Beckett in Nazi Germany 1936-1937 Mark Nixon Nixon, Mark 31

3 Beckett's "brilliant obscurantics" : Watt and the problem of propaganda James McNaughton McNaughton, James 47

4 Beckett's theatre "After Auschwitz" Jackie Blackman Blackman, Jackie 71

5 "Faintly struggling things" : trauma, testimony, and inscrutable life in Beckett's The unnamable Alysia E. Garrison Garrison, Alysia E. 89

6 Samuel Beckett, the archive, and the problem of history Robert Reginio Reginio, Robert 111

7 Archives of the end : embodied history in Samuel Beckett's plays Jonathan Boulter Boulter, Jonathan 129

8 "Humanity in ruins" : the historical body in Samuel Beckett's fiction Katherine Weiss Weiss, Katherine 151

9 Writing relics : mapping the composition history of Beckett's Endgame Dirk Van Hulle Van Hulle, Dirk 169

10 "Agnostic quietism" and Samuel Beckett's early development Matthew Feldman Feldman, Matthew 183

Bibliography 201

List of contributors 215

Index 219