Beckett's Bedrooms: On Dirty Things and Thing Theory

Abstract

This article draws on Bill Brown's ‘Thing Theory’ alongside more recent theoretical approaches to ‘things’ in order to investigate the peculiar depictions of filthy bedroom items that appear in Samuel Beckett's early works for screen. Focusing predominantly on the teleplay Eh Joe, the article discusses the manner in which Beckett's evocations of physical dirtiness persistently problematise and abstract the conventional functionality of everyday domestic objects in his work, not only causing ordinary items to seem less familiar and increasingly ambiguous, but also impacting upon the way that characters engage with their physical surroundings. By acknowledging and analysing these odd renderings of the material everyday the article attempts to shed new light on Beckett's artistic and conceptual interest in the physical world, and, furthermore, suggest that this interest may have played an important role in shaping Beckett's distinctive dramatic practice.