The Making of Samuel Beckett's Not I / Pas moi, That Time / Cette fois and Footfalls / Pas

This volume of the BDMP series explores the genesis of three iconic Beckett plays, Not I (1973), That Time (1976), and Footfalls (1976), translated into French by the author. It includes analyses of abandoned archival precursors and examines the psychological and psychoanalytic concepts used in the plays through the lens of enactive cognition. The plays are seen as stagings of the subject-object breakdown that is a key part of Beckett's aesthetics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 520 pages
Publication date: 13 July 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

This comprehensive volume in the BDMP series delves into the genesis of three iconic Beckett plays: Not I (1973), That Time (1976), and Footfalls (1976), all translated into French by the author himself. By examining abandoned archival precursors such as the 'Kilcool drafts (1963) and the 'Petit Odéon Fragments (1967–1968), the book offers a detailed account of a crucial period in Beckett's playwriting career. During this time, his long-held ambition to stage a mouth babbling in the dark became a catalyst for some of his most innovative work.

The volume provides a comprehensive guide to the history of these three plays, tracing their development from compositional manuscripts to publication and performance. It argues that these plays should be viewed as stagings of the subject-object breakdown explored in Beckett's early writing. Drawing on his notes taken on psychology and psychoanalysis in 1934–1935, the book examines the many psychological and psychoanalytic concepts used in his later stagings of the mind.

Through the lens of enactive cognition, the plays are analyzed as pieces that encourage active interpretation on the part of their audiences. Rather than representing particular psychological conditions, they are seen as staging minds in states of breakdown that resist diagnosis. By doing so, Not I / Pas moi, That Time / Cette fois, and Footfalls / Pas enact the subject-object breakdown that is a central aspect of Beckett's aesthetics.

This volume is a valuable resource for scholars and enthusiasts of Beckett's work, offering a deep understanding of the creative process behind these iconic plays.

Weight: 802g
Dimension: 216 x 172 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781350269057