An Icon Reader's Guide to Essential Criticism
Waiting For Godot & Endgame
Peter Boxall traces critical responses to 'Waiting for Godot' and 'Endgame' from the 1950s to the present day. The Guide presents the major debates that surround these works as they develop, from Martin Esslin's early appropriation of the plays as examples of the Theatre of the Absurd, to recent poststructuralist and postcolonial readings by critics such as Steven Connor, Mary Bryden and Declan Kiberd. Throughout, Peter Boxall clarifies and contexualises critical responses to the plays, and considers the difficult relationship between Beckett and his critics. The ongoing attempt to interpret these enigmatic works not only sheds light on the plays themselves, but also helps us to understand the promise and the limits of our own critical discourses. The Guide explores this mutually enlightening relationship as it has evolved over the last five decades.
'Icon Readers' Guides' explore the key critical material relating to major works of world literature. A clear, informative narrative links the extracts and examines their context and importance. From contemporary reviews to postmodern readings, the Guides offer you a full account of the ways in which the works have been received by academics, critics and the public.
