Texts for Nothing 3 (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Samuel Beckett
- First Published: 1955
- Type of Plot: Absurdist
- Time of Work: The mid-twentieth century
- Setting: Dublin, Ireland
- Principal Characters: The narrator, Vincent
- Genres: Short fiction, Absurdist literature
- Subjects: Philosophy or philosophers, Twentieth century, Veterans, Existentialism, Life, philosophy of, Ireland or Irish people
- Locales: Dublin, Ireland
The Story
This is one of Samuel Beckett's intellectually and perversely teasing monologues about existence, which are quite common in his later work. As the unnamed narrator considers what he should do, he seems to be trying to prove his own reality by constructing a story that he keeps chopping and changing. It may be a story of a journey, out and back, that takes place in the spring. There is to be no serious action, so the voice assures itself that there is nothing to fear. Nevertheless, there is a constant sense of anxiety and reluctance involved. The voice decides to be...
[The entire page is 1456 words long]
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