Say It

The Performative Voice in the Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett
Erscheinungsjahr 2010
ISBN: 978-90-420-3078-7
Verlag: Brill | Rodopi

Buch, Englisch, Band 352, 277 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 445 g

Reihe: Faux Titre

Central to Samuel Beckett’s literature is a wilful voice which insists on speaking and being heard. Beckett described it as “a truly exterior voice”, and in the plays he separates voice from the body and turns it into an audible character. Previous critical studies have explored the enigma of this voice, its identity, source and location, but little attention has been given to the voice as protagonist. This volume traces the genesis of the performative voice in the early prose and charts its trajectory throughout the dramatic oeuvre in a readable narrative which generates fresh insights into some of Beckett’s most remarkable and impenetrable plays. It examines the use of embodied and acousmatic – ‘out of body’ – voices in the different media of theatre, radio and television; the treatment of voice in relation to music, image and movement; and the ‘shifting threshold’ between the written and spoken word. The analysis comprises a detailed study of dramatic speech and technical aspects of sound reproduction, making it relevant for all scholars and students with an interest in textual and performance issues in Beckett’s drama.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturkritik: Hermeneutik und Interpretation
• Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Englische Literatur

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Introduction
I. A Voice Within and Beyond the Twentieth Century
II. Genesis of the Performative Voice
III. Re-enacting Voices from the Past
Rewinding Memories: Krapp’s Last Tape
Talking Ghosts: Embers
The Voice Closes In: Eh Joe
IV. Voice as Protagonist
Voice and Music: Cascando
Voice and Image: Not I
Voice and Movement: Ghost Trio
V. Voice from Page to Stage
Script or Text? A Piece of Monologue
Voice and Performative Text: Ohio Impromptu
Transformation of Voice: Company
Conclusion
Bibliography
Chronology
Index