Portrait of a descriptive phenomenologist: a stylistic approach to Beckett
Poster Number
8
Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
It seems evident to most readers that Beckett’s writing captures and expresses many philosophical dilemmas, both epistemic and ontological. What remains undiscovered is how these complex issues arise through Beckett’s use of form. It is the hypothesis of this project that Samuel Beckett employs form in a purposeful way to reinforce content and, further, to impress upon the reader the conflicted state of personal identity as it unfailingly appears to our cognition, reflection, and consciousness. In this project, the form of Beckett’s writing has been mapped out in an effort to uncover how specific linguistic deviations sensitize the reader to this predicament. This stylistic approach uses several linguistic modes of analysis, including pragmatics and schema theory. These methods have produced distinct results according to the two genres examined. In Beckett’s poem, “the vulture,” Beckett establishes this particular effect through deviant syntax, namely the literal and non-literal erasure of the subject. In Beckett’s short prose work, “Dante and the Lobster,” Beckett establishes the same effect through the speech and thought presentation of the narration.
Location
Pacific Geosciences Center
Start Date
24-4-2004 9:00 AM
End Date
24-4-2004 5:00 PM
Portrait of a descriptive phenomenologist: a stylistic approach to Beckett
Pacific Geosciences Center
It seems evident to most readers that Beckett’s writing captures and expresses many philosophical dilemmas, both epistemic and ontological. What remains undiscovered is how these complex issues arise through Beckett’s use of form. It is the hypothesis of this project that Samuel Beckett employs form in a purposeful way to reinforce content and, further, to impress upon the reader the conflicted state of personal identity as it unfailingly appears to our cognition, reflection, and consciousness. In this project, the form of Beckett’s writing has been mapped out in an effort to uncover how specific linguistic deviations sensitize the reader to this predicament. This stylistic approach uses several linguistic modes of analysis, including pragmatics and schema theory. These methods have produced distinct results according to the two genres examined. In Beckett’s poem, “the vulture,” Beckett establishes this particular effect through deviant syntax, namely the literal and non-literal erasure of the subject. In Beckett’s short prose work, “Dante and the Lobster,” Beckett establishes the same effect through the speech and thought presentation of the narration.