English Language and Literature Commons^™

Samuel Beckett: Age, Impairment, And The Drama Of Confinement, Victoria Helen Swanson

Doctoral Dissertations

The aging body is a universal feature of corporeal existence and, in every sense, aging alters physical and mental performance. Approaches to age and performance studies often focus upon the aging actor or the challenges faced by actors when they are cast in roles which require them to act the part of a much older character. Samuel Beckett’s use of aged or aging characters has gone relatively unnoticed by scholars, especially in his dramatic works. This dissertation positions aging as vital to engaging with Beckett’s drama. Aged figures appear across Beckett’s career ranging from his earliest works to his latest. …