"Tradition and the individual talent" (1919) in Eugene Ionesco’s The chairs (1952), Samuel Beckett’s waiting for godot (1953) and Harold Pinter’s The caretaker (1960)
Loading...
Date
2024
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi Ouzou
Abstract
This dissertation is a contribution to the debate on influence and originality in literary
texts. It examines through a comparative perspective the interplay between tradition
and individual talent in the plays The Chairs(1952) by Eugène Ionesco , Waiting for
Godot(1953) by Samuel Beckett, and The Caretaker(1960) by Harold Pinter, through
the theoretical lens of T.S. Eliot's essay entitled, "Tradition and the Individual
Talent."(1919). Eliot's concept emphasizes the balance between the influence of
previous authors while considering the contribution of the individual artist. In The
Chairs, Ionesco employs absurd elements to challenge traditional narrative structures,
creating his own theatrical experience, which reflects both a continuation and a
departure from established dramatic conventions. Similarly, Beckett's Waiting for
Godot reminds the reader of Eliot's notion of tradition by blending existential themes.
Meanwhile, his use of innovative dialogue and structure, contributes to a creation of a
distinct voice akin to the modernist tradition while still engaging with its
themes. Pinter's, for his part, inserts in his play, The Caretaker realist and absurd
features, reflecting the tension between tradition and innovation. His use of language
and character provides a fresh perspective on power and identity, aligning with Eliot's
idea that new works of art changes the existing order of the artistic tradition.
Therefore, these selected plays exemplify how modernist playwrights express through
their plays the two-fold demands of tradition and creation, contributing thus to enrich
the theatrical landscape with their individual talents while remaining close to the
existing literary tradition of the theatre of the absurd.
Description
61p. ; (+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Theatre of the Absurd, Influence, Tradition, Originality, Individual Talent
Citation
LITERATURE AND CIVILIZATION