Samuel Beckett is widely recognized as one of the most pivotal modernist writers of the 20th century. Writing at a time when old certainties surrounding existential meaning, social progress, and human capability had been thrown into question, Beckett's body of work speaks to the "destitution of modern man", and elevates it into the realm of the tragicomic sublime.
Today, Beckett is most widely known for his 1949 Waiting for Godot, which catapulted him to fame upon its premiere in 1953. His following play, Endgame, marked a further consolidation and concentration of his ideas, and Beckett reportedly considered it his best play. By reading Endgame, students will be able to learn about one...
