Imma let Carla sum this one up for me😂 I liked this, but I didn't love it like I loved Happy Days or Krapp's Last Tape; still good though!
Imma let Carla sum this one up for me😂 I liked this, but I didn't love it like I loved Happy Days or Krapp's Last Tape; still good though!
So, I've read all the short plays by Beckett in this book, but because I have no spatial awareness to speak of, nothing made sense. They're basically instructions aimed at actors/dances explaining how they should move on the stage and my mind went blank. Thankfully, there are filmed versions on Youtube.
Winnie‘s babbling as a comfort measure, a protective layer to stave off real feeling & suffering. Boredom to be avoided but also welcomed as an alternative to pain. Language as distracting noise: quotes, clichés, memories, banal catch phrases. Comforting, but without meaning. Change & stasis together. Beast vs. reason. Lack of awareness. Habits to protect self from knowledge. Optimism and anguish. Armpit stink jokes. Cheerfully pushing back pain.
Saw a solid production last night & reminded of how much I love the character of Winnie & 💜 this play. Such a marathon for the actor! Winnie is so annoying but so lovable. Fragility & perseverance. Nagging & care. Language as a way to control time. Habits, ritual, to maintain mental stability. Cartesian mind/body. Imposing order on chaos. Distraction. Comfort. Hope. “what I find so wonderful” “Words fail, there are times when even they fail.”1961
I visited the Jasper Johns exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was inspiring.
I spotted a staff member sitting by an open display of a large book. On closer inspection, it was an opportunity to put on gloves, and actually turn the pages in this valuable book. Well, I have seen this done in the movies, but had not had the experience myself. I stood in line, and now I can check it off my list!
Fascinating and readable critical analysis and synthesis. This book had its origins in lectures Ellmann gave at the Library of Congress in the 1980s and the theme seems to be the way in which each writer dealt with contradictions in their lives and work. Definitely worth reading for those interested in art and its creation, Irish literature and drama, European history 1850-1980. Much longer review at Goodreads & LibraryThing @bibliothecarivs.