Blog for LIT330, Fragments of Rationality: Modern and Postmodern Literature and Theory, Fall 2010, Chester College of New England, Instructor Dr. Monica O'Brien
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Excerpt from The Unnameable
Brilliant reading of an excerpt from the end of Beckett's trilogy that starts with Molloy.
“I'm all these words” and mean nothing, seems to be what the passage means below the surface. As Samuel Beckett continues to read, it sounds and feels very much like a surrealist stream of conscious poem. I think it would be interesting to take this sample reading, and play it from three different starting points at one time to see what the result is. That way, we, as listeners, can gain a true appreciation for the diction, tone and pace of this segment. Beckett portrays through words how an individual must “listen” and “seek.” This is evident when reading Molloy. Nothing is described fully, or is detailed and straight forward. Beckett purposefully deconstructs the norms of the novel, and he is able to do the same with his voice. The changing in speed and pitch add to the continuous, seemingly monotonous stumbling of both Moran and Molloy as characters, and also as us, the readers. We are not meant to pursue reading Molloy as if walking a straight line. The line we must travel is curved, broken, mis-matched and meant to be intimidating, daunting and at times confusing (just as Beckett's words begin to roll into one another, becoming less straight forward and more garbled confusion).
“Like a caged beast” Beckett's words can be viscous, ferocious and timid. They can be harsh, hard and loud, or almost silent when softly spoken. “One must have something” to hold onto when listening to Beckett and when reading Molloy, and “that's enough” to start with.
"All sounds...there's only one, day or night" Reading Molloy was like listening to this reading, only I felt better about it because having words in front of me I knew I could go back (again the search for the meaning that has been trampled into my head telling me if I get confused I can go back and understand). "Something is wanting to make it clear. I'll seek what is wanting to make everything clear. I'm only seeking something. It's starting in the end and it's only the beginning." This is even more commentary on the purposeful ruination of any linear meaning. This is also my tripping up point with writing about Molloy: I feel like I still need to get out of my system my feelings about the line very near the beginning of that novel where he says something along the lines of, "I might just be lying in bed telling this story." (I don't have the book in front of me, but it's within the first ten pages) "It can only be that...what it is" I feel this sums up both the read aloud excerpt and Molloy: it doesn't matter if you gain no meaning from it, because it can only be what it is. It makes no difference if the novel is written or an excerpt is read aloud: it won't be any easier to grasp a solid linear narrative thread or story or meaning. One last thing. I found an interesting coincidence between the echoing behind the reading and the feeling I got while reading Molloy. It's almost as if I was hearing that blank long echo in my head as I read the words of Molloy that was made audible in this reading. I can't pinpoint what in the writing put that echo in my head, but it was definitely there. An echo of an echo, if you will.
“I'm all these words” and mean nothing, seems to be what the passage means below the surface. As Samuel Beckett continues to read, it sounds and feels very much like a surrealist stream of conscious poem. I think it would be interesting to take this sample reading, and play it from three different starting points at one time to see what the result is. That way, we, as listeners, can gain a true appreciation for the diction, tone and pace of this segment. Beckett portrays through words how an individual must “listen” and “seek.” This is evident when reading Molloy. Nothing is described fully, or is detailed and straight forward. Beckett purposefully deconstructs the norms of the novel, and he is able to do the same with his voice. The changing in speed and pitch add to the continuous, seemingly monotonous stumbling of both Moran and Molloy as characters, and also as us, the readers. We are not meant to pursue reading Molloy as if walking a straight line. The line we must travel is curved, broken, mis-matched and meant to be intimidating, daunting and at times confusing (just as Beckett's words begin to roll into one another, becoming less straight forward and more garbled confusion).
ReplyDelete“Like a caged beast” Beckett's words can be viscous, ferocious and timid. They can be harsh, hard and loud, or almost silent when softly spoken. “One must have something” to hold onto when listening to Beckett and when reading Molloy, and “that's enough” to start with.
As Beckett states: “its only the beginning”
"All sounds...there's only one, day or night"
ReplyDeleteReading Molloy was like listening to this reading, only I felt better about it because having words in front of me I knew I could go back (again the search for the meaning that has been trampled into my head telling me if I get confused I can go back and understand).
"Something is wanting to make it clear. I'll seek what is wanting to make everything clear. I'm only seeking something. It's starting in the end and it's only the beginning." This is even more commentary on the purposeful ruination of any linear meaning. This is also my tripping up point with writing about Molloy: I feel like I still need to get out of my system my feelings about the line very near the beginning of that novel where he says something along the lines of, "I might just be lying in bed telling this story." (I don't have the book in front of me, but it's within the first ten pages)
"It can only be that...what it is" I feel this sums up both the read aloud excerpt and Molloy: it doesn't matter if you gain no meaning from it, because it can only be what it is. It makes no difference if the novel is written or an excerpt is read aloud: it won't be any easier to grasp a solid linear narrative thread or story or meaning.
One last thing. I found an interesting coincidence between the echoing behind the reading and the feeling I got while reading Molloy. It's almost as if I was hearing that blank long echo in my head as I read the words of Molloy that was made audible in this reading. I can't pinpoint what in the writing put that echo in my head, but it was definitely there. An echo of an echo, if you will.
Chelsea