Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, University of Bamberg, course: Proseminar Samuel Beckett, 14 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: Clowns and mimes have been accompanying theatrical work since the ancient world and they have not lost their comic effect until today. Even when Beckett has never admitted explicitly that his clown-like characters were intended, his plays do, however, show a considerable influence of comic elements. These clownish and mimetic elements shall be examplified in this term paper. Hence a short view over the history and characteristics of mimes and clowns shall be given and the results embedded into the plays Waiting for Godot, Endgame und Act Without Words I.

A collection of original essays by a team of leading Beckett scholars and two of his biographers, Companion to Samuel Beckett provides a comprehensive critical reappraisal of the literary works of Samuel Beckett. Builds on the resurgence of international Beckett scholarship since the centenary of his birth, and reflects the wealth of newly released archival sources Informed by the latest in scholarly, critical, and theoretical debates A valuable addition to contemporary Beckett scholarship, and testament to the enduring influence of Beckett’s work and his position as one of the most important literary figures of our time

One of the few studies covering the historical flow of mime from its beginnings to postmodern movement theatre, this book explores the evolution of mime and pantomime from the Greeks to the 20th Century, depicting the role of mime in dance, clowning, the cinema, and verbal theatre throughout the centuries. With over sixty illustrations, this worldwide study is indispensable for the student, teacher, or fan of mime.

Provides a comprehensive exploration of Beckett's historical, cultural and philosophical contexts, offering new critical insights for scholars and general readers.

New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of the city itself, while celebrating New York as both a place and an idea.

Theater and popular entertainment scholars interview clowns at the Family Pickle Circus and other clowns who have developed the same new kind of circus comedy over the last quarter of the 20th century. c. Book News Inc.

The Encyclopedia of Humor: A Social History explores the concept of humor in history and modern society in the United States and internationally. This work’s scope encompasses the humor of children, adults, and even nonhuman primates throughout the ages, from crude jokes and simple slapstick to sophisticated word play and ironic parody and satire. As an academic social history, it includes the perspectives of a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, child development, social psychology, life style history, communication, and entertainment media. Readers will develop an understanding of the importance of humor as it has developed globally throughout history and appreciate its effects on child and adult development, especially in the areas of health, creativity, social development, and imagination. This two-volume set is available in both print and electronic formats. Features & Benefits: The General Editor also serves as Editor-in-Chief of HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research for The International Society for Humor Studies. The book’s 335 articles are organized in A-to-Z fashion in two volumes (approximately 1,000 pages). This work is enhanced by an introduction by the General Editor, a Foreword, a list of the articles and contributors, and a Reader’s Guide that groups related entries thematically. A Chronology of Humor, a Resource Guide, and a detailed Index are included. Each entry concludes with References/Further Readings and cross references to related entries. The Index, Reader’s Guide themes, and cross references between and among related entries combine to provide robust search-and-browse features in the electronic version. This two-volume, A-to-Z set provides a general, non-technical resource for students and researchers in such diverse fields as communication and media studies, sociology and anthropology, social and cognitive psychology, history, literature and linguistics, and popular culture and folklore.

In 1936, Samuel Beckett wrote a letter to the Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein expressing a desire to work in the lost tradition of silent film. The production of Beckett's Film in 1964, on the cusp of his work as a director for stage and screen, coincides with a widespread revival of silent film in the period of cinema's modernist second wave. Drawing on recently published letters, archival material and production notebooks, Samuel Beckett and Cinema is the first book to examine comprehensively the full extent of Beckett's engagement with cinema and its influence on his work for stage and screen. The book situates Beckett within the context of first and second wave modernist filmmaking, including the work of figures such as Vertov, Keaton, Lang, Epstein, Flaherty, Dreyer, Godard, Bresson, Resnais, Duras, Rogosin and Hitchcock. By examining the parallels between Beckett's methods, as a writer-director, and particular techniques, such as the embodied presence of the camera, the use of asynchronous sound, and the cross-pollination of theatricality and cinema, as well as the connections between his collaborators and the nouvelle vague, the book reveals how Beckett's aesthetic is fundamentally altered by his work for the screen, and his formative encounters with modernist film culture.

All of the essays in this collection reflect a sense that Beckett's power as a playwright derives largely from a mythic vision that informs his drama. Their approaches to the definition and use of myth and ritual in his plays vary considerably, however, ranging from the Jungian to the Marxian to the Lacanian, and drawing on the theories of Campbell, Freud, Eliade, Frye, Turner, Girard, Baudrillard, and others.