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1. Alvarez, A. Fontana Modern Masters : Beckett. Glasgow:Fontana /Collions, 1981.
Demonstrate Beckett's originality in the form of literary criticism chronologically. It is "a guide to Beckett's works." With the introduction of Absurdity and the absurd as the beginning.
1 Introduction: Absurdity and the absurd.
2.Early Works: A Fairy Strong Young Rose.
3.The Novels: Desolation Row.
4.The Plays: Carrying on Talking
(i) waiting for godot: this essay focus on the detailed discussion of the "ontology" of the play and its subject of time. Alvarez asks, "How many playwrights have put such a simple truth so powerfully, so wittily and so unanswerably?" (89)
5.Radio: Christ What a Planet!
6.Later Works: Imagination Dead
2. Bair, Deirdre. Samuel Beckett: A Biography. New York: HBJ, 1978.
a complete biography of Samuel Beckett from 1906-1973.Deridre depicts Becktt's life, his art, his composition of works.
Chapter Sixteen Waiting for Godot
" A Marvelous,Liberating Diversion "
Deirdre exploits Samuel Beckett's composition of Waiting for Godot,the situation, the source of the literary text, and Beckett's attitude toward his first recognized play--" Godot is a bad play."
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1. Andonian, Cathleen Culotta. Samuel Beckett: A Reference Guide. Boston: G.K.Hall, 1989
An annotated reference of bibliography complied in chronological order and with cross-reference index. which helps readers to easily preview the insight of each item of article / essay and to organizes and to complied annotated bibliographies. *a complete and easy-to- read reference, which complied from early 30s to 80s and mended the gap in Federman's Samuel Beckett.
2. Federman, Raymond, and John Fletcher. Samuel Beckett: His Work and His Critics. Berkeley: U.California P, 1970.
This annotated bibliography or a reference guide complied definitive bibliographical information about Beckett before 1970. It divided into two part. Part one is mainly on " The Works of Samuel Beckett." This part consists of published works in English, published works in French, Translations,and unpublished works. Part Two is about Criticism of Samuel Beckett's Work. It complied bibliographies of critical essays from books,periodicals, book reviews, and other sources about or on Beckett's work. * It is a quite complete reference, but it just complied critical works before 1970. Still,it is useful for the study of critical trend on Beckett during the 30s-70s.
3. Tanner, James. T.F. and J.Don Vann, eds. Samuel Beckett: a checklist of criticism. Kenty State Up, 1969.
Though it's a checklist of criticism, it is limited in the period during 60s.* This book is not so complete yet, but somehow it still useful.
4. Brater, Enoch, and Ruby Cohn, ed. Around the Absurd: Essays on Modern and Postmodern Drama. Ann Arbor: U.Michigan P, 1990
5. Abbott, H. Porter. " Late Modernism: Samuel Beckett and the Art of the Oeuvre." Brater and Cohn 73-96.
Abbott discussed that even though Martin Esslin had classified Samuel Beckett into the school of the theatre of the absurd, the status of Beckett in literary history is still controversial to scholars. As the title of this article indicated, Samuel Beckett's literary works became the battlefield between modernist and postmodernist.
6. Abrams, M.H. ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol.2. New York:Norton, 1993
7." Samuel Beckett." Abrams. 2242-3.
An introduction of Beckett's life and major works. He points out that Waiting for Godot is "a play without plot of intrigue, which use brilliantly the idea of nothing happening on stage" (2243).
8. Banham, Martin, ed. The Cambridge Guide to Theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995.
9. " Beckett, Samuel." Banham. 86-7.
A brief introduction to Beckett's background,life, and his works. # useful for beginners to Samuel Beckett.
10. " Theatre of absurd." Banham. 1104.
A short introduction to theatre of absurd and to indicate its development, the main absurdists, and the characteristics/ essential concept of "theatre of absurd."
11. Bloom, Harlod. ed. Modern Critical Views: Samuel Beckett. New York: Chelsea House, 1985.
12. Cohn, Ruby, ed. Casebook on Waiting for Godot. New York: Grove, 1967.
13. Esslin, Martin. The Theatre of the Absurd. New York: Anchor,1969. 809.2 Es78 1969
This is a very important book which Esslin pointed out the importance of "the theatre of absurd" and introduced Beckett, Adamov, Inoesco, Genet,and later Pinter and Albee.
14. Esslin, Martin. " Samuel Beckett: The Search for the Self. " The Theatre of the Absurd. New York: Anchor,1969. 11-65.
Martin points out the importance of Beckett and his works in the theatre of the absurd from the introduction of Beckett's life to the concept of creating dramatic works.
15. - - -, ed. Samuel Beckett: A Collection of Critical Essays. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall,1965
16. "Existentialism." Encycopedia Britannica Online. Dec 21 1999. <http://www.britannica.com>
This article Clearly provides readers a definition of "existentialism" and introduced us its major development.
17. Reid, Alec. All I Can Manage, More Than I Could: An Approach to the Plays of Samuel Beckett . New York: Grove,1968.
Part One
Something about Sam / A New Kind of Drama
Towards an open Approach / An Art of Love In this part, Reid discussed Beckett's life, and he analyzed Beckett's dramatic works with "[enlarged] scope of the theatre" (19). He also analyzed Beckett's plays through the stage directions in the script.
Part two
A Chronology / The Plays
In this part, Reid provides a chronology of Beckett's dramatic works and the detail information of performances. Then he summarized fifteen Beckett's plays and collected the detail information of casting and performance.
18. Breuer, Rolf. "The Solution as Problem: Beckett's Waiting For Godot." Modern Drama 19 (1976) 225-36.
He interpreted the title "waiting" in terms of waiting in a "physical space" and on the "spiritual level"(225). He also analyzes the "accomplish for the message of the play" from the aspect of Christian interpretation.
19. Calderwood, James.L. " Ways of Waiting in Waiting for Godot." Modern Drama 29 (1986)363-75.
He mainly divided his essay into "five ways of waiting": I. Waiting as erasure. grammatical analysis of "waiting" II. Waiting and Time. The relationship between waiting and time.III.Waiting as Traveling Comparison and contrast of progressing and staying. IV. ...For Godot V.Waiting as Theatre. VI. Waiting for Meaning.
20. Carter, Steven. " Estragon's Ancient Wound: A Note on Waiting for Godot." Journal of Beckett Studies 6 (1996)125-33.
This article use the allusions of Greek mythological heroes as the correlated pattern to reinterpret the character Estragon's wound on feet.*** One issue is raised in this article that he mentioned the relationship between Vladimir and Estragon as the homosexuality. I think this idea might be risky and controversial in the study of Waiting for Godot.
21. Cohn, Ruby. " Waiting Is All." Modern Drama 3(1960) 162-7.
Gogo's speech "Nothing happens" indirectly reveals Beckett's intention to "set up a tension between surface stagnancy and dramatic development," which indicates "a major meaning of the tragicomedy." Though this play is without beginning, "the seeming stasis" actually means "in term of a dramatic action."
22. Dyson, J.Peter. " Waiting For Godot and The Mikado: the Game of Time." English Language Notes 8 (1980) 46-8.
Dyson mainly took Waiting for Godot as the model to compare with Gilbert and Sullivan's Operetta The Mikado and interpreted the concept of time.
23. Harvey, Lawrence E. " Art and the Existential in En attendant Godot." PMLA 75(1960) 137-46.
24. Levy, Eric. P. " False Innocence in Waiting for Godot." Journal of Beckett Studies 3 (1994) 19-36.
Levy indicates that Estragon has "the need for pity" toward Vladimir (24). He also pointed out that the blindness and "Estragon's habitual sense of helplessness" makes that "all he can see is his own need for pity" (24).
25. Nealon, Jeffrey. "Samuel Beckett and the Postmodern: Language Games, Play, and Waiting for Godot." Modern Drama 31 (1988): 520-28.
He thinks that Vladimir and Estragon use "language games" to kill time. Furthermore, he points out those language games which "consitute their existenceand form their social bond" (520).
26. Schneider, Joseph Leondar. " Beckett's Waiting For Godot." Explicator 35(1977) 9-10.
With comparison of Yeat's poem "The Wind among Reeds,"Yeat's plays, and Irish folklore.Schneider thinks that source in folklore indicates Beckett's "symbol of modern frustration is entirely consistent with the definition of Godot as a 'little God'" (10).
27. Schonfeld, Roger. C. " 'Tie Me Up, Tie Down': Ropes, Belts, and Cords in Waiting for Godot" The Samuel Beckett On-line Resources and Links Page 4 Nov. 1999 <http://pantheon.cis.yale.edu/~rschon/acad>
Using the image of ropes, belts, and cords, Schonfeld discussed the "interpersonal relationship" or the dynamics between Valdimir/ Estragon and Pozzo/ Lucky in the play.
28. Sinclair, Michael. " Essay on Waiting for Godot." The Samuel Beckett On-line Resources and Links Page 4 Nov. 1999 <http://home.sprintmail.com/~lifeform/godot.txt>
Sinclair mainly propsed his basic premise: "a human being's life is totally dependant on chance...and time is meaningless; therefore, a human's life is also meaningless" (par1).
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