Beckett and Ireland

A volume of essays to provide compelling evidence of the continuing relevance of Ireland to Beckett's writing.

Seán Kennedy (Edited by)

9780521111805, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 February 2010

236 pages, 4 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

Beckett and Ireland is a volume of essays devoted exclusively to the topic of Beckett's vexed relationship with his homeland. It provides compelling evidence of the continuing relevance of Ireland to Beckett's writing long after he left for wartime France. Each essay is written by a leading Beckett scholar, and presents insights into a wide range of approaches and topics. The volume offers a fresh perspective, providing a genuine step forward in the understanding and appreciation of these texts. It is essential reading for Beckettians, Modernists, and those interested in Irish writing.

Introduction: Ireland/Europe … Beckett/Beckett Seán Kennedy
1. The Ghost at the feast: Beckett and Irish studies Ronán McDonald
2. Frames of referrance: Samuel Beckett as an Irish question David Lloyd
3. The politics of aftermath: Beckett, modernism and the Irish Free State James McNaughton
4. Beckett at the GPO: Murphy, Ireland, and the 'unhomely' Patrick Bixby
5. 'In the street I was lost': cultural dislocation in Beckett's 'The End' Seán Kennedy
6. Postcolonial parables: repositioning Waiting for Godot Victor Merriman
7. Ghost writer: Beckett's Irish Gothic Sinéad Mooney
8. Back roads: Edgeworth, Yeats, Bowen, Beckett Peter Boxall
9. Vestiges of Ireland in Beckett's late fiction Michael Wood
10. Afterword: 'the skull the skull the skull the skull in Connemara': Beckett, Ireland and elsewhere Andrew Gibson
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: from c 1900 - [DSBH], Literature: history & criticism [DS], Literature & literary studies [D]