Posmrtný život v dílech Samuela Becketta, Máirtína Ó Cadhaina a Flanna O'Briena

Doleček, Jan

This thesis aims to examine and compare the use of afterlife motif in Samuel Beckett's late drama, Máirtín Ó Cadhain's experimental novel Cré na Cille (1949), and Flann O'Brien's absurdist novel The Third Policeman (published posthumously in 1967). As all three are considered to be one the most prominent authors of late Irish modernism, their work is thus placed within this cultural context. The introductory chapter provides this necessary background to outline the major aspects of this particular literary tradition as well as present possible socio-cultural influences, which may have informed these seminal writers of highly experimental texts: the turbulent history of post-World War I Ireland, its political stasis during World War II, and the general pessimism emerging in this period in Europe all have considerable influence on the works examined. The first main chapter focuses on Beckett's plays Play (1963), Not I (1973), Footfalls (1976), and A Piece of Monologue (1979) and on their treatment of the afterlife motif, which is distinguishable even despite the ambiguity and minimalism of these dramatic pieces. Through the examination of Dantesque elements, Beckett's manipulation of temporality, and the fragmentary narratives of his ghastly characters, it is argued that Beckett's major theme was the...

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