The Aesthetics of Impersonation and Depersonalization: Samuel Beckett and Philip Roth

Powell, Joshua 2018. The Aesthetics of Impersonation and Depersonalization: Samuel Beckett and Philip Roth. Philip Roth Studies 14 (2) , pp. 16-32. 10.5703/PHILROTHSTUD.14.2.0016

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Abstract

This essay begins by considering an obvious point of difference between the work of Samuel Beckett and Philip Roth. In view of its tendency to present anonymous voices and body parts, Beckett’s writing is frequently seen to explore the erosion of personhood. Roth’s concern with the secret lives of his characters, by contrast, means that he is often considered to be more concerned with impersonation than depersonalization. While accepting the general validity of this view, the essay complicates it. Through readings of works such as The Breast, Sabbath’s Theater, The Humbling, Molloy, and Not I, it argues that a close comparison of the two writers can reveal the central role that depersonalization plays in Roth’s writing and also the stubbornness of personhood in Beckett’s.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	English, Communication and Philosophy
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN0080 Criticism
Publisher:	Purdue University Press
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	6 October 2022
Last Modified:	11 May 2023 08:09
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/151612

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