Saying I No More: Subjectivity and Consciousness in the Prose of Samuel Beckett (Avant-Garde & Modernism Studies) (Hardcover)

by Daniel Katz (Author)

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Product Description
In recent criticism, Samuel Beckett's prose has been increasingly described as a labour of refusal - most notably seen by its literal disavowal of consciousness and expression as conventions in the narrative and the novel. Beginning from the premise that Beckett never betrays his belief in "the impossibility to express" and that the conventional romantic and metaphysical notions of "expression" are resolutely rejected in Beckett's postwar prose, this book argues that the expression of voicelessness in Beckett is not silence. Rather, the negativity and negation so evident in his work are not simply affirmed, but the valourization of emptiness, impotence or the "no" can all too easily itself become an affirmation of power.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Northwestern University Press; 1 edition (September 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810116820
• ISBN-13: 978-0810116825
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,831,707 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant and Rigorous Study of Beckett's Prose, February 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Saying I No More: Subjectivity and Consciousness in the Prose of Samuel Beckett (Avant-Garde and Modernist Studies) (Paperback)

This critical study of Samuel Beckett's prose aptly relies on post-structural thought to investigate a highly challenging text. Without simplifying or mystifying the difficulty of Beckett's prose, this book is written with much intelligence, elegance and rigor. Commendable.