Understanding Samuel Beckett

Understanding Samuel Beckett PDF Author: Alan Astro
Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press
ISBN: 9780872496866
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 250

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Book Description
Presents an overview of the work of Samuel Beckett. Discussing his famous as well as lesser known texts, the book shows how his characters incorporate silence in their speech to narrate their deaths. Finally it examines Stirring Still, his last text, which evokes his own imminent death.

Understanding Samuel Beckett

Understanding Samuel Beckett PDF Author: Alan Astro
Publisher: Univ of South Carolina Press
ISBN: 9780872496866
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 250

Get Book

Book Description
Presents an overview of the work of Samuel Beckett. Discussing his famous as well as lesser known texts, the book shows how his characters incorporate silence in their speech to narrate their deaths. Finally it examines Stirring Still, his last text, which evokes his own imminent death.

Happiness

Happiness PDF Author: Darrin M. McMahon
Publisher: Grove Press
ISBN: 9780802142894
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 572

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Book Description
An intellectual history of man's most elusive yet coveted goal. Today, we think of happiness as a natural right, but people haven't always felt this way. Historian McMahon argues that our modern belief in happiness is a recent development, the product of a revolution in human expectations carried out since the eighteenth century. He investigates that fundamental transformation by synthesizing two thousand years of politics, culture, and thought. In ancient Greek tragedy, happiness was considered a gift of the gods. During the Enlightenment men and women were first introduced to the novel prospect that they could--in fact should--be happy in this life as opposed to the hereafter. This recognition of happiness as a motivating ideal led to its consecration in the Declaration of Independence. McMahon then shows how our modern search continues to generate new forms of pleasure, but also, paradoxically, new forms of pain.--From publisher description.

Second Nature

Second Nature PDF Author: Josephine Gray
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 178661510X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
This critical intervention in the study of the comic investigates how the comic act is also an expressive and performative act that precedes philosophical conceptualisation. The book puts Bergson, philosophy and the body at the centre of its investigation to explore different aspects of the field, from the history and philosophy of comedy to film and psychoanalysis. The volume develops a theoretical and practice-based framework that will be a valuable resource for students, scholars and practitioners alike in the fields of philosophy, literary studies, theatre and performance studies and comedy studies. List of Contributors: Caterina Angela Agus, Fred Dalmasso, Lisabeth During, Xavier Escribano, Giovanni Fusetti, Davide Giovanzana, Josephine Gray, María J. Ortega Máñez, Meg Mumford, Jean-Michel Rabaté, Carolyn Shapiro, Lisa Trahair

Catalog of Copyright Entries

Catalog of Copyright Entries PDF Author: Library of Congress. Copyright Office
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Copyright
Languages : en
Pages : 1196

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Book Description


Anti-Natalism: Rejectionist Philosophy from Buddhism to Benatar

Anti-Natalism: Rejectionist Philosophy from Buddhism to Benatar PDF Author: Ken Coates
Publisher: First Edition Design Pub.
ISBN: 1622875702
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 90

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Book Description
The last few decades seem to have begun what has been called 'the childless revolution'. In developed countries, increasingly people are choosing not to have children. The causes of this 'revolution' are many including the belief that to create a new life is to subject someone unnecessarily, and without their consent, to life's many sufferings including death. This belief and its underlying philosophy is known as anti-natalism. There has been a recent resurgence of this philosophy, with David Benatar's book Better Never To Have Been (2006) as a major catalyst. Anti-natalism can be seen as part of a broader philosophy, described here as Rejectionism, which finds existence -directly or indirectly, i.e. as procreation - as deeply problematic and unacceptable. The book traces the development of this philosophy from its ancient religious roots in Hinduism (Moksha) and Buddhism (Nirvana) to its most modern articulation by the South African philosopher David Benatar. It examines the contribution to rejectionist thought by Schopenhauer and von Hartmann in the 19th century and Zapffe, a little known Norwegian thinker, in the 20th century, and most recently by Benatar. Benatar and Zapffe represent this approach most clearly as anti-natalism. The book also devotes a chapter to the literary expression of rejectionist philosophy in the works of Samuel Beckett and J.P.Sartre. In sum, far from being an esoteric doctrine rejectionism has been a major presence in human history straddling all three major cultural forms - religious, philosophical and literary. The book argues that anti-natal philosophy and its practice owe a great deal to three major developments: secularization, liberalization of social attitudes, and technological advances (contraception). Anti-natal attitudes and practice should therefore be seen as a part of 'progress' in that these developments are widening our choice of lifestyles and attitudes to existence. In sum, The book argues that anti-natalism needs to be taken seriously and considered as a legitimate view of a modern, secular civilization. Secondly, the book seeks to situate current anti-natalist thought in its historical and philosophical perspective. Finally, it argues that in order to develop anti-natalism further it needs to be institutionalized as a form rational 'philosophy of life', and more attention needs to be paid to the problems and prospect of putting this philosophy into practice.

Radioactive Ghosts

Radioactive Ghosts PDF Author: Gabriele Schwab
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 1452961441
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
A pioneering examination of nuclear trauma, the continuing and new nuclear peril, and the subjectivities they generate Amid resurgent calls for widespread nuclear energy and “limited nuclear war,” the populations that must live with the consequences of these decisions are increasingly insecure. The nuclear peril combined with the looming threat of climate change means that we are seeing the formation of a new kind of subjectivity: humans who are in a position of perpetual ontological insecurity. In Radioactive Ghosts, Gabriele Schwab articulates a vision of these “nuclear subjectivities” that we all live with. Focusing on the legacies of the Manhattan Project, Hiroshima, and nuclear energy politics, Radioactive Ghosts takes us on a tour of the little-seen sides of our nuclear world. Examining devastating uranium mining on Native lands, nuclear sacrifice zones, the catastrophic accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima, and the formation of a new transspecies ethics, Schwab shows how individuals threatened with extinction are creating new adaptations, defenses, and communal spaces. Ranging from personal accounts of experiences with radiation to in-depth readings of literature, film, art, and scholarly works, Schwab gives us a complex, idiosyncratic, and personal analysis of one of the most overlooked issues of our time.

Overcoming the Darkness

Overcoming the Darkness PDF Author: Rev. Charles M. Ridulph
Publisher: Balboa Press
ISBN: 1982247622
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
Overcoming The Darkness explains in Biblical detail how God’s Light shines in the midst of any and all darkness which enters into our collective and individual lives. This is an evil world in which we live and darkness abounds. The realm of darkness can be devastating, but the darkness need not win out. Evil hurts but will not prevail. God has a way of changing things. That is who he is, and that is what he does. Overcoming The Darkness shows you the victory which is yours to have; the victory over all those fears associated with the dark. God’s Light does indeed shine in the darkness. Yes, in the midst of the darkness the light of Jesus Christ shines brightly. The victory has been won!

Samuel Beckett and Catastrophe

Samuel Beckett and Catastrophe PDF Author: Michiko Tsushima
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031083687
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description
Samuel Beckett and Catastrophe is a groundbreaking collection of original essays that explore the relation between Samuel Beckett and catastrophe in terms of war, the Holocaust, nuclear disasters and ecological crisis. Responding to the post-catastrophic situations in the twentieth century, Beckett created characters who often seem to have been through an unknown catastrophe. Although the importance of catastrophe in Beckett has been noted sporadically, there has been no substantial attempt to discuss his aesthetics and work in relation to it. This collection will therefore serve as the first sustained study to explore the theme of catastrophe in Beckett and will be a highly significant contribution to Beckett studies. Chapter “Slow Violence and Slow Going: Encountering Beckett in the Time of Climate Catastrophe” is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

Samuel Beckett's Theatre

Samuel Beckett's Theatre PDF Author: Katharine Worth
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780198187790
Category : Drama
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
The critical discussion highlights the unique fusion on Beckett's stage of cosmic scenery and humorous individualism."--Jacket.

Nine Insights for a Successful and Happy Life

Nine Insights for a Successful and Happy Life PDF Author: Mitchell Gibson
Publisher: eBookIt.com
ISBN: 1456603434
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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Book Description
The greatest achievements in human history have been attained by those individuals who strive to elevate themselves above the everyday ebb and flow of life. This yearning to achieve is central to our search for happiness. We want to laugh, to sing, and to feel good at the end of the day as much as we might wish to do anything else. Happiness is an art. If you wish to practice this art, you must first decide that it is something that you want, above everything else. People that choose to be happy will at some point wake up to a day filled with smiles, joy, and laughter. If they are lucky, they will remember that day, focus on its high points, and strive to repeat it. Before too long, another happy day will appear, seemingly out of the blue. People around them will wonder why they seem to be so different. The reason will not be found in surface changes. The Nine Insights For a Happy and Successful Life emerged from my own life long desire to help thousands of people find happiness. Happiness is a gift that we bestow upon ourselves each time that we embrace the joy that breathes within. This book outlines two main themes that will guide you on the road to happiness. The first explores methods that will help you discover the secret inner joy that already hides within you. The second explores powerful and effective methods that will help you remove the chaos and obstacles that prevent you from feeling and expressing that joy in your daily life. Success and happiness travel together on the road to joy. Let us discover your inner path together. Mitchell Earl Gibson MD