Eng426 20th century english literature

Self-Assessment Exercise

With close reference to the play, discuss the theme of existentialism in Waiting for Godot.

4.0 CONCLUSION

In Waiting for Godot, Samuel Beckett brings out the absence of God in the modern world where everyman struggles unsuccessfully to find meaning on his own. The play has been regarded as a tragicomedy especially as the characters talk of serious life issues in a comic and light-hearted way.

5.0 SUMMARY

In this Unit you have learnt about Samuel Beckett and his play Waiting Godot. In order to understand the play, the theatre of the absurd is briefly examined. The major themes in the work as well as the use of symbolism are also discussed.

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

How far would you agree that Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is an absurdist play?

7.0 REFERENCES/ FURTHER READING

Beckett, S. (1982). Waiting for Godot. Reprint, New York: Grove Press.
Coote, S. (1993). The Penguin History of English Literature :New York: Penguin Books. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.“Samuel Beckett and the Theatre of the Absurd.”Cliff’s
Notes.Accessed 12 June, 2015.
Drabble, M. (ed.) (1985). The Oxford Companion to English Literature. London: Oxford University Press.
Esslin, M. (1980).The Theatre of Absurd. New York: Penguin Books.
European Graduate School.“Samuel Beckett Biography.”Online Library.Accessed 12 June, 2015.
Faulkner, P. (ed.). (1986). A Modernist Reading: Modernism in England 1910-1930.
London: Batsford.
Helsa, D. H. (1971). The Shape of Chaos. An Interpretation of the Art of Samuel Beckett.
Minneapolis: The University of Minnesota Press.
Lodge, D. (1977). The Modes of Modern Writing: Metaphor, Metonymy and the Typology of Modern Literature. London: Edward Arnold.
Murdoch University.“The Absurd and Beckett...A Brief Encounter.” http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/serge/Research.htm Accessed 12 June. 2015
Ward, A.C. (1956). Twentieth–Century Literature 1901-1950.12th edn. London: Methuen.