Citizenship, Pain, and Disability in Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i>
Citizenship is popularly associated with able-bodiedness, both physically and cognitively. However, disability studies over the last few decades has revealed the extent to which the idea of the nation as composed of able-bodied constituents is little more than fantasy, one that can create or galvani...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Literature |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-9789/2/4/25 |
| _version_ | 1797623987316981760 |
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| author | Mitchell Gauvin |
| author_facet | Mitchell Gauvin |
| author_sort | Mitchell Gauvin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Citizenship is popularly associated with able-bodiedness, both physically and cognitively. However, disability studies over the last few decades has revealed the extent to which the idea of the nation as composed of able-bodied constituents is little more than fantasy, one that can create or galvanize barriers to full political and social participation. Part of this task has involved re-evaluating key works of canonical literature through the lens of disability. In the following paper, I apply this approach to Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i> and argue that Beckett’s play disrupts not just the fantasy of a nation composed of able-bodied citizens but the language of able-bodiedness itself, which has implications for how we conceive of citizenship and participatory politics. While impairment has been critiqued in Beckett before, the extensive examples of pained and impaired characters in his works have often been subsumed under broader philosophical themes, such as existentialism, nihilism, or Cartesian dualism, and rarely linked to issues of citizenship, politics, or the social and built environment. I explore how Beckett’s approach to theatrical and linguistic performativity contributes to how he staged the experience of pain and disability that has implications for how we conceive of and practice citizenship. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:36:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6a9ab466faf74d45881d11a82c5ebdbb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2410-9789 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:36:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Literature |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a9ab466faf74d45881d11a82c5ebdbb2023-11-16T17:13:58ZengMDPI AGLiterature2410-97892022-11-012430031410.3390/literature2040025Citizenship, Pain, and Disability in Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i>Mitchell Gauvin0Obama Institute, Department of English and Linguistics, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, 55122 Mainz, GermanyCitizenship is popularly associated with able-bodiedness, both physically and cognitively. However, disability studies over the last few decades has revealed the extent to which the idea of the nation as composed of able-bodied constituents is little more than fantasy, one that can create or galvanize barriers to full political and social participation. Part of this task has involved re-evaluating key works of canonical literature through the lens of disability. In the following paper, I apply this approach to Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i> and argue that Beckett’s play disrupts not just the fantasy of a nation composed of able-bodied citizens but the language of able-bodiedness itself, which has implications for how we conceive of citizenship and participatory politics. While impairment has been critiqued in Beckett before, the extensive examples of pained and impaired characters in his works have often been subsumed under broader philosophical themes, such as existentialism, nihilism, or Cartesian dualism, and rarely linked to issues of citizenship, politics, or the social and built environment. I explore how Beckett’s approach to theatrical and linguistic performativity contributes to how he staged the experience of pain and disability that has implications for how we conceive of and practice citizenship.https://www.mdpi.com/2410-9789/2/4/25Samuel Beckettcitizenshipdisabilitydisability studiescultural studiesdrama |
| spellingShingle | Mitchell Gauvin Citizenship, Pain, and Disability in Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i> Literature Samuel Beckett citizenship disability disability studies cultural studies drama |
| title | Citizenship, Pain, and Disability in Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i> |
| title_full | Citizenship, Pain, and Disability in Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i> |
| title_fullStr | Citizenship, Pain, and Disability in Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Citizenship, Pain, and Disability in Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i> |
| title_short | Citizenship, Pain, and Disability in Samuel Beckett’s <i>Waiting for Godot</i> |
| title_sort | citizenship pain and disability in samuel beckett s i waiting for godot i |
| topic | Samuel Beckett citizenship disability disability studies cultural studies drama |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2410-9789/2/4/25 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mitchellgauvin citizenshippainanddisabilityinsamuelbeckettsiwaitingforgodoti |