“Tears and laughter,” says Beckett’s Molloy, “they are so much Gaelic to me.” This course examines Beckett’s two funniest novels — Murphy (1938), a Swiftian tale of madness and ginger biscuits, and Watt (1942), a send-up of the quest for knowledge — and situates them in a genealogy of comic writing in Ireland.
Course details
Tutors
‘Tears and laughter,’ writes Samuel Beckett in Molloy, ‘they are all so much Gaelic to me.’ In this course, we will read two of Beckett’s funniest novels. We will begin with Murphy (1938), a surreal romp around 1930s London and through the ‘little world’ of the human mind that weaves together reflections on madness, astrology, and ginger biscuits with a Swiftian satirical fervour. Next, we will read Watt: a fantastical send-up of the search for knowledge and illumination that Beckett wrote while on the run from the Gestapo in Nazi-occupied France.
As well as attending closely to key passages in both these books, the course will also show how both Beckett owes debts to previous Irish and Anglo-Irish comic authors such as James Joyce, Jonathan Swift, and Lawrence Sterne.
Learning outcomes
- The learning outcomes for this course are:
- Discuss literary texts in an analytical and reflective manner;
- Identify trends in Irish comic writing and explore links between the style and approach of various authors;
- Discern and analyse literary comic techniques, including satire, pastiche, absurdism and the grotesque.
Classes
1. An Introduction to the Comic Novel in Ireland
2. Murphy: Part 1
3. Murphy: Part 2
4. Watt: Part 1
5. Watt: Part 2
Required Reading
Beckett, Samuel. Murphy. (2009) London: Faber
Beckett, Samuel. Watt. (2009) London: Faber
Typical week: Monday to Friday
For each week of study you select a morning (Am) and an afternoon (Pm) course, each course has five sessions, one each day Monday to Friday. The maximum class size is 25 students. Your weekly courses are complemented by a series of two daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to the learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events.
| c.8.00am-9.00am | Breakfast in College (for residents) |
| 9.00am-10.30am | Am Course |
| 11.15am-12.30pm | Plenary Lecture |
| 12.30pm-1.45pm | Lunch |
| 1.45pm-3.15pm | Pm Course |
| 4.00pm-5.15pm | Plenary Lecture |
| c.6.00/6.15pm-7.15/7.30pm | Dinner in College (for residents) |
| c.7.30pm onwards | Evening talk/event |
Evaluation and Academic Credit
If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.
Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £65 per essay.
For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit.
Certificate of attendance
A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically within a week of your courses finishing.