Beckett, Waiting for Godot: A Student Guide

by Lawrence Graver

Waiting for Godot has become one of the most frequently discussed and influential plays in the history of the theater. This volume presents a comprehensive critical study of Samuel Beckett's first and most renowned dramatic work. Lawrence Graver discusses the play's background and provides a detailed analysis of its originality and distinction as a landmark of modern theatrical art. He also reviews some of the differences between Beckett's original French version and his English translation.

Genres: Plays, Classics, Fiction

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Lawrence Stanley Graver was a distinguished scholar and beloved professor of English at Williams College, noted for his work on 19th- and 20th-century English and American literature, contemporary fiction, drama, and American Jewish literature. A veteran of the Korean Conflict, he earned his B.A. at City College of New York and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, where he met his wife, Suzanne Levy. Graver contributed widely to public literary discourse, including influential reviews in the New York Times Book Review, and authored acclaimed books on Kazuo Ishiguro, Anne Frank, Samuel Beckett, Joseph Conrad, and Carson McCullers. Renowned for his wit, insight, and generosity, he shaped generations of students and was cherished as a teacher, scholar, husband, father, and grandfather.

Reviews

[Yasiru]

Didn't quite present to me much that was groundbreaking to affect my thoughts on the play itself, but this critical essay is worthwhile for its tracing of Beckett's development as a writer, its global picture of the reactions to and influence of Waiting for Godot, and the clear and insightful way Graver explores Beckett's themes and intentions in this play (in the context of his literary life) which seems almost to attempt escape from itself.

[Frederike]

Lots of insightful remarks are made in this comprehensive critical study of Beckett's first and most boring and at the same time influential play Waiting for Godot

[Edlira Dibrani]

"Waiting for Godot, then, is a play not about Godot – who he is or whether he will ever arrive – but about waiting; or, to be more precise, about what people do while they wait. In this regard, Beckett’s French title, En attendant Godot, While Waiting for Godot, is a more precise rendering than the title he gave to his English translation."

[Steffi]

Nothing groundbreaking but there are good insights about the play.

[Dean Italiano]

I read this directly after reading Waiting for Godot so that I could immediately recall parts of the play, and I will be reading the play again right away so that I can apply so much of what I've learned.

Personally, I gained the most out of the first half of the book. The Genesis and Reception was fascinating, and putting myself in Beckett's time brought a lot to my understanding of the play's brilliance. Chapter Two, Approaching the Play, was what I was looking for, a more in-depth, structured study of Waiting for Godot. (Which I might re-read, actually.)

The second half of the book, although not was I went searching for, was surprisingly fascinating as I learned more about the French and English differences. His Directing changed when the play went to stage, and the humour is altered, perhaps darker in the English version. I also need to brush up on my French.

The last part of the book covers words and playwrights that were influenced by Godot and Beckett's work. In fact, you could base a whole course around the following plays and how they were inspired by Beckett.

Not considered a light read for the average person, if you really want to dig your teeth into Waiting for Godot, this book is the perfect companion.

[John Devlin]

Two bums talk barely lucidly about nothing. Oh but wait, it's really deep.

[C.]

Classic, absurd, a great read. But its one of the classics of modern theater, so I don't feel the need to say anything else.

[Nancy]

I read this in high school senior English, and it resonated with me at the time. It frustrated me, it made me question belief, and ultimately, I remember it. :)

[Claudia]

the ridiculousness of life, but funnier.

[Hari]

not as good as Waiting for Guffman

[Elijah]

Literature of the absurd at it's finest. What is the purpose of life? Why are we here? Why, we are waiting for Godot!

[Caroline]

Wendy's first pick

[Dakota]

A decent read. I think it speaks to a specific audience that I am not anywhere close to. Somewhat reminded me of "Of Mice and Men"