Language and self in Samuel Beckett’s Trilogy: the self-translation of the representation of the mind

Thesis

Criticism on Samuel Beckett’s self-translations has established itself as an important subfield of Beckett Studies, within which comparative readings of his bilingual oeuvre have become a growing trend over the past two decades. This study approaches the subject by examining the self-translation of the representation of the mind in Molloy/Molloy (1951/1955), Malone Meurt/Malone Dies (1951/1956) and L’Innommable/The Unnamable (1953/1958). It conducts an experimental study articulating diversified approaches which embark on close readings of translation differences from French to English pertaining to the treatment of verbs, dislocations, pronouns, and set phrases in Beckett’s prose Trilogy. Leaning on a hybrid and interdisciplinary theoretical analysis of the corpus, this research draws on a formalist approach which considers examples by gradually structuring them from the taxonomical to the thematical. It reveals an intricate web of patterns in Beckett’s translation practice which influence the characterization of the narrators by either alternatively or consistently accentuating or diminishing the portrayal of the narrators’ mental states and actions, of their linguistic versatility, and of their enunciative ambiguity and inclusivity.

After surveying headlining contributions to the subfield and its direction and tendencies, the thesis identifies three overall translation trends in the Trilogy. First, Beckett consistently accentuates the portrayal of the narrators’ troubled or fragmented mental states as well as their linguistic confidence and versatility. Second, he consistently diminishes the portrayal of the narrators’ assertiveness and sensory awareness. Third, Beckett alternatively accentuates or diminishes the portrayal of the narrators’ emotionality, their poetic playfulness, and their enunciative inclusivity. This thesis therefore demonstrates that the representation of the narrators’ mind and self in the English version of the Trilogy differs from the French version. It also shows that though Beckett’s elusive translation practice does indeed resist simple theorization, various consistent patterns can emerge through the comparative close reading of these complementary texts.

Authors: Mirza, W

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-obdo89znm
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Beckett; self-translation; bilingualism; self-representation
• Subjects: Comparative literature; French; Self-translation; English