Samuel Beckett 3: les “dramaticules” by Llewellyn Brown

Abstract

THE FRENCH REVIEW, Vol. 88, No. 3, March 2015 Printed in U.S.A. Literary History and Criticism edited by Marion Geiger 203 Brown, Llewellyn, éd. Samuel Beckett 3: les “dramaticules”. Caen: Minard, 2012. ISBN 978-2-256-91173-6. Pp. 332. 24 a. Beckett invented the term“dramaticule”to refer to some of the short plays that he wrote late in his career. The articles of this third volume focus on the specificity of minimalist writings for the stage where characters and situations are reduced to the most basic elements. In addition, we are reminded of the place of these texts in Beckett’s oeuvre. The main part of the volume is divided into three thematic sections, each of which highlights a different aspect of the “dramaticules.” Fortunately for readers less familiar with the short plays, Brown’s Avant-propos and his introductory article guide us towards an understanding of the neologism from which the book takes its title. Rather than providing a pat definition, Brown plays with the ambiguity of the term and allows us to see that, as a genre, the “dramaticules” are in part recognizable by the way Beckett uses the medium of theater, but also by an overarching sense of derision that characterizes their themes. This leads to the first section,“Effets de genre,” where much attention is paid to the theatricality of these texts. Among other aspects of the“dramaticule,”Beckett’s use of the monologue is studied in detail in this section where the authors emphasize the complex relationship between the narrative, the stage directions and the varied theatrical functions of monologues. Part 2, “Présence et Absence,” examines these coexisting yet contradictory aspects of Beckett’s texts. The concrete nature of the theatre, even in its most minimalist expressions, requires that there be some “presence” and the analyses here show how Beckett pushes the limits, forcing us to question the very definition of that term. Is physical presence more“real” than memory? Are the ghosts that haunt Beckett’s characters less present than the characters themselves? Well-written and clear, the articles provide insight into this paradoxical aspect of the “dramaticules.” In “Voix,” the third section of the volume, articles focus on the poetic rhythm of Beckett’s language and the role of speaker and listener, of actor and spectator, of reader and author. We, as readers, are called upon to become more attentive to such factors as we navigate between the worlds that Beckett proposes in his short plays. These articles might be best appreciated if accompanied by close re-reading of the works in question, in particular Solo / A Piece of Monologue and Berceuse / Rockaby. The last two articles in the volume represent a rather abrupt change in focus. A study of Beckett as a reader of Dante brings new details to light but discusses Dante’s influence on a wide variety of Beckett’s works. The “Témoignage” elucidates the intercultural challenges of translating Beckett’s theater into Hebrew. Following these are several critical book reviews that supply additional updated resources for Beckett scholars. Given the paucity of research devoted specifically to the “dramaticules,” this volume is a welcome addition to the corpus of Beckett studies. Metropolitan State University of Denver Ann Williams Chauvin, Cédric. Référence épique et modernité. Paris: Champion, 2012. ISBN 9872 -7453-2343-9. Pp. 356. 80 a. Chauvin studies recent revivals of interest in the epic in Georges Dumézil’s writings on the Indian Mahabharata (1968–2003),Philippe Jaccottet’s translation of the Odyssey (1953–2004), Pierre Klossowski’s translation of the Aeneid (1964 and 1989), and the novels of Jean Giono, Julien Gracq, and Claude Simon. Current consensus defines the epic genre only as a “long narrative poem.” Traditionally, Homer’s epics were seen as “historical,” whereas Virgilian and Aristotelian models were considered esthetic narrative structures. Macpherson’s “Ossianic” poems deconstructed this distinction for his contemporaries by claiming to recover ancient history from Bardic fragments of supposedly collective memories. Chauvin misses the powerful force of artistic elaboration in Arthurian legend (history refers to that king in only one line, as the victor of the Battle of Badon Hill), and the...