Study Guide to Waiting for Godot, Endgame, and Other Works by Samuel Beckett

Book excerpt: A comprehensive study guide offering in-depth explanation, essay, and test prep for selected works by Samuel Beckett, Nobel Prize Winner for Literature in 1969. Titles in this study guide include All That Fall, Endgame, Krapp’s Last Tape, Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable, and Waiting for Godot. As an unconventional but modernist author of the war ravaged twentieth-century, Beckett focused on essential elements of the human condition in dark, humorous ways. Moreover, Beckett was often associated with the “Theatre of the Absurd,” where his work displayed conventional plot and structure and utilized laughter as a prominent tool against despair. This Bright Notes Study Guide explores the context and history of Beckett’s classic work, helping students to thoroughly explore the reasons they have stood the literary test of time. Each Bright Notes Study Guide contains: - Introductions to the Author and the Work - Character Summaries - Plot Guides - Section and Chapter Overviews - Test Essay and Study Q&As The Bright Notes Study Guide series offers an in-depth tour of more than 275 classic works of literature, exploring characters, critical commentary, historical background, plots, and themes. This set of study guides encourages readers to dig deeper in their understanding by including essay questions and answers as well as topics for further research.