INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from aity type of conçuter printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quali^ of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard marginc, and improper alignment can adversely afreet reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlq». Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for arty photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Z eeb Road. Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 USA 313.'761-4700 800.521-0600 No-thing is more real than nothing Zen/Chaos Theory in the Dramatic Art of Samuel Beckett Dissertation Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University by John Leeland Kundert-Gibbs, BA, MA ************** The Ohio State University 1995 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Katherine H. Burkman Jon Erickson iviser Jessica Prinz Department of English ÜMI Number; 9526048 OHI Microform 9526048 Copyright 1995, by OMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48103 Copyright ©1995 John Leeland Kundert-Gibbs for Kristin and Joshua. A peach petal poised falling brown brush strokes behind white parchment field—Spring! 11 | * i P « hÿB •Ï j i m I ^ S B feS s «KM r & i6 f ■ t i 'S t m # ÆMë Figure 1; A river-like detail from the Mandelbrot set (Picture generated using a program written by Alessandro Levi Montalcini) III IV "The detail of the pattern is movement. As in the figure of the ten stairs. Desire itself is movement N ot in itself desirable..." — T.S. Eliot , and constant craving has always been ..." — K. D. Lang 'Everything must hinge on the art of archery...." — Eugen Herrigel VI Acknowledgements In a work involving as many fields as this one, it is impossible to person­ ally thank all of those whose help has been invaluable; thus, before I thank the people who have a very special place in the origin and development of this dis­ sertation, I would first like to express my indebtedness to the numerous col­ leagues, friends, teachers, and students who have shaped my understanding of life so profoundly. No work is created in a personal vacuum, so life choices always affect the inception and evolution of a project—especially one as long-term and trying as a dissertation. The wonder of working with Katherine Burkman as my adviser has been that, regardlesg of my personal and familial obligation to complete this project far from Columbus—and, of course, of our occasional creative and critical differences—she has somehow managed to be mentor, colleague and friend throughout the journey which has produced this work. For her faith, courage and direction as much as for her gifted insights and invaluable help, words can only fail in the endeavor to express my unbounded gratitude. I would also like to thank my other committee members, Jon Erickson and Jessica Prinz, for their enthusiastic support, suggestions, and often last-minute help with drafts arriving through the mail. Additionally I wish to express my Vll gratitude to James Phelan, former director of graduate studies in English, for his willingness to take a chance on a 'convert' from Physics a few years back. I am also very much indebted to Grand Master Choi Joon Pyo of the Ori­ ental Martial Arts College for his years of expert guidance in the physical, mental and spiritual art of Tae Kwon Do: my understanding of Zen has been pro­ foundly influenced by his teaching and friendship. Of course I should like to thank the late Samuel Beckett for such im­ mensely rich, enjoyable and often frustrating material with which to work. I must also give credit to dumb luck and Chaotic events which led from a blind and stubborn choice of college majors, to the need to find emotional and physical release through the martial arts, to meeting m y future wife, the actress, to a change of academic focus, to a spontaneous trip into the mountains of Virginia to visit a book warehouse, to the inclusion of Zen Buddhism and Chaos theory in this dissertation. To whatever relative god of deterministic unpredictability pre­ sides over our world, I humbly give my thanks. I am truly indebted to Judy Kundert, who sacrificed several weeks of her life to come to a strange city and watch our infant son; without this precious writing time, the last two chapters would still be unwritten. I would also like to thank my brother, Paul, for a bit of friendly competition, and my sister, Karis, for her support and encouragement. To my parents, Joan and Lee, what can I say? I owe you not just life, but all that I consider good about me. Without your years of love, care and sacrifice, I most certainly could not be writing these words to­ day. Dad, from the advent of my consciousness you have been the model of the well-rounded 'Renaissance man,' setting a very high standard of wide-ranging, synthetic thought and work, all the while helping me climb the slow steps to viii follow you to the best of my ability. Mom, not only have you been an unending source of love, care, and common sense—the perfect balance to your husband and my father—your recent quest to attain your own doctorate has been nothing short of inspirational! Finally, it is my great privilege to express my thanks and love to my own burgeoning family. Joshua, you have already grown into such a wonderful hu­ man being that I would have finished two dissertations just to have the time to be with you as you continue to grow. I hope that someday when you think me a silly old man, you will chance on these words and be reminded how much I love you. And Kristin, your support during the past years—physical, financial, and spiritual—has been nothing short of heroic: I cannot even count the number of little (and big) ways you have come to my rescue time and again. Even with the incessant stresses of your daily life, you have always found time to encourage me, talk with me, and push me to continue instead of giving up—and of course to bring me dinner when I otherwise would surely have starved to death! But what causes me most to marvel, and to love you more each day, is your deep- seated, undying faith in me. Each time you helped me bring home a stack of books from the library, each time I trudged off to the computer, and each time I returned, you would always smile and tell me you knew I was doing a great job. If I have done so, it has been to prove you right. IX X Vita January 29,1965 Bom—Boston, Massachusetts 1987 BA, Princeton University 1990 MA, The Ohio State University Publications Pinter at Sixty. Ed. Katherine H. Burkman and John L. Kundert-Gibbs. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1993. "Revolving it all: Mother-Daughter Pairs in Marsha Norman's 'night. Mother and Samuel Beckett's Footfalls." In Marsha Norman: A Casebook. Ed. Linda Brown. N ew York: Garland Press, Inc. (forthcoming, 1995). "T am Powerful and I am only the lowest Doorkeeper': Power Play in Kafka's The Trial and Pinter's Victoria Station." In Pinter at Sixty. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1993. Annotation of Keith Aldritt, Eliof s Poetry as Chamber Music. In T.S. Eliot: Man and Poet: An Annotated Bibliography of a Decade of T. S. Eliot Criticism: 1977 - 1986. Vol. 2. Michigan: Cushing Malloy, Inc., 1992. Annotation of C. Capri-Karka, Love and the Symbolic Tourney in the Poetry of Cavafy. Eliot and Seferis. In T. S. Eliot: Man and Poet: An Annotated Bibliography of a Decade of T. S. Eliot Criticism: 1977 -1986. Vol. 2. Michigan: Cushing Malloy, Inc., 1992. XI Fields of Study Major Field: English Areas of Specialization: Contemporary Drama Katherine H. Burkman Modern British Literature Sebastian Knowles Narrative Theory Audrey Jaffey XU Table of Contents Dedication .................................................................................................................................i General Quotations ................................................................................................................v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ vii Vita ...........................................................................................................................................xi List of Figures .......................................................................................................................xv List of Tables .....................................................................................................................