"CLOSE YOUR EYES AND LISTEN TO IT, WHAT WOULD YOU THINK IT WAS?": A STUDY OF SOUND TECHNOLOGIES IN SAMUEL BECKETT'S ALL THAT FALL, EMBERS, KRAPP'S LAST TAPE AND THAT TIME

Abstract

This thesis discusses the creative impasse into which Samuel Beckett fell after completing three of his most important works: Endgame, Waiting for Godot, and his novel trilogy (<italic>Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable</italic>). Particularly, this thesis examines Beckett's foray into radio drama as the manner through which Beckett escaped impasse. Furthermore, this thesis argues that Beckett's turn to radio was more than a solution to a period of creative stagnation; it was, rather, an integral part of his future creativity and production without which such plays as <italic>Krapp's Last Tape</italic> and <italic>That Time</italic> may never have been generated. <italic>All That Fall</italic> and <italic>Embers</italic> are examined in terms of their aural aesthetic techniques and strategies and as learning experiences for Beckett, especially with regard to the manipulation of sound and the efficacy and immediate emotional power of the human voice. <italic>Krapp's Last Tape</italic> and <italic>That Time</italic> are discussed in terms of their incorporations of techniques and technologies (namely, the tape recorder and stereophonic principle of sound design, respectively) which Beckett learned of through his experience in radio drama. The main focus of these examinations is placed on the emotional impact these heavily orchestrated aural experiences inflict upon audiences.