Beckett and Ethics

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At first glance, Samuel Beckett's writingwhere scenes of violence and cruelty often provide the occasion for an unremittingly bleak comedywould seem to offer the reader few examples of ethical conduct. However, following the recent "ethical turn" in critical theory, there has been growing interest in the ethicality of Beckett's work. Following Alain Badiou's highly influential claim for Beckett as essentially an ethical thinker, it is time to ask: What is the relation between Beckett's work and the ethical Is Beckett's work profoundly ethical in its implications, as both humanist and deconstructionist readings have insisted in their different ways Or does Beckett's work in some way call into question the entire notion of the ethical
This provocative collection of essays seeks to map out this emerging debate in Beckett criticism. It will be a landmark contribution to an exciting new field, not only in Beckett Studies, but in literary studies and critical theory more broadly.

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Reviewed in Routledge ABES
This provocative collection of essays seeks to map out an emerging debate in Beckett criticism. It is a landmark contribution to an exciting field, not only in Beckett Studies, but in literary and theatre studies and critical theory more broadly. -- The European Legacy, Volume 16, Number 5

Author Bio

Russell Smith is Lecturer in English at the Australian National University, Australia.