Beckett Writing Beckett: The Author in the Autograph (Hardcover)

by H. Porter Abbott (Author)
Key Phrases: Samuel Beckett, New York, Krapp's Last Tape (more...)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Cornell University Press (April 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801432464
• ISBN-13: 978-0801432460
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,077,851 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Abbott Writing Abbott, February 9, 1999

By A Customer

For those interested in Beckett, Abbott's study is of little use. For those interested in Beckett Studies, it is perhaps essential.

The only problem is this: Beckett Studies has little to do with Beckett--with understanding Beckett. Instead, it is wrapped in its own terminology, abstracted from the texts it attempts to uncover. Abbott's only real contribution to our understanding of Beckett's WORK is the idea of "oevure". However, one need not read Abbott in order to see in Beckett's prose an ongoing process of self-discovery. One need only read Beckett.

For the most part, Abbott's work is unimportant, obscured mostly by the critical arena into which it speaks.