This study proposes to show that Pirandellian echos abound in Samuel Beckett's dramatic works, especially in En Attendant Godot and Fin de partie. Pirandello and Beckett both explore a new consciousness concerning the relationship of man to life. Their works embody the fundamental theme of human suffering. / Three aspects of Pirandellism are analyzed: reality of the unreal, comedy of surface appearance, and paradox of alienation. These elements constitute respectively the three chapters of this study. To illustrate the Pirandellian dimension, Enrico IV and Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore are analyzed for details that emphasize the aspects of Pirandellism in Beckett. / Chapter One shows how in the works of both Pirandello and Beckett the mind is seen in multiple form thereby making it difficult for man to distinguish between the real and the unreal. The chapter also explores the playwrights' universe of chaos, and the collapse of absolutes, and disintegration of the self. / Chapter Two presents man in his comic incongruity and examines the tedium of existence which lies beneath the surface appearance, namely: human incommunicability, suffering, loneliness, and isolation. The last Chapter discusses the dialectics of alienation emphasizing that within the framework of deep pessimism a basic mitigating if grudging optimism can and does emerge. / In addition to a detailed analysis of Pirandellism in Beckett's works, this study deals with the theatrical links between the two playwrights. These links will be explained in terms of the thinning of the line between the stage and the auditorium, the interplay of illusion and reality, the crystalization of life and form, and above all, the fabrication of mental realities to make life less agonizing. / The thesis aims neither to force comparison nor to study a line of influences. It rather hopes to provide new interest and focus for studying and understanding Beckett. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-08, Section: A, page: 2693. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74912 |
| Contributors | UWAH, GODWIN OKEBARAM., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 208 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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