Beckett Beyond the Normal
Beckett Beyond the Normal by Seán Kennedy, published by Edinburgh University Press on August 18, 2022, is a scholarly exploration of Samuel Beckett’s artistic vision through the lenses of queer, disability, and posthumanist studies. This edition, comprising 168 pages, delves into the complexities of Beckett’s work, focusing on how themes of normalcy and abnormality are central to his literary output. The book shifts the discourse from general discussions of Beckett to specific analyses of the queer and disabling aspects present in his mature writings.
Readers will find a thorough examination of why Beckett’s writing frequently engages with topics such as mental illness, disability, and societal norms. The text investigates Beckett’s fascination with ‘abnormals’ and ‘degenerates,’ and how his work reflects a reconceptualization of humanity in the context of historical trauma. By integrating psychoanalysis, queer theory, disability theory, and biopolitics, this volume aims to advance Beckett studies into contemporary discussions, making it a significant contribution to literary criticism within the realms of fiction and philosophy.
Official synopsis Publisher
Explores Beckett’s artistic vision at the intersection of queer, disability and posthumanist studies
The first volume to address norms and normalcy as an enduring target of Beckettian skepticismShifts the emphasis from generic talk of ‘Other Becketts’ to specific accounts of the queer, the disabling, the abnormalising aspects of the mature worksAbsorbs and transcends the philosophy/history binary that has shaped the last twenty yearsBrings Beckett Studies into the twenty-first century as the first intersectional volume to address queerness, disability and biopolitics together
This book examines why Beckett’s writing is so queer, so disabled and disabling. Why did Beckett write so often about mental illness, disability, perversion? Why did he take such an interest in ‘abnormals’ and ‘degenerates’? How did he reconceive ‘the human’ in the wake of Hitler and Stalin? Drawing on Beckett’s voluminous archive, as well as his primary texts, the authors use psychoanalysis, queer theory, disability theory and biopolitics to push Beckett studies beyond the normal.
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