Samuel Beckett

4 3.8

An Irish writer who lived in France and wrote plays and novels about people in strange, often empty situations

proper noun
/ˈsæm.ju.əl ˈbɛk.ɪt/

: Samuel Beckett

Samuel Beckett is renowned for his play 'Waiting for Godot', a masterpiece of twentieth-century theatre.

Examples

Many scholars have analyzed the minimalist style of Samuel Beckett in both his novels and plays.
After moving to France, Samuel Beckett wrote much of his work in French as well as English.
Many consider Samuel Beckett a pioneer of absurdist theatre.
Did you read Samuel Beckett's works in school?
Samuel Beckett is renowned for his play 'Waiting for Godot', a masterpiece of twentieth-century theatre.
After moving to France, Samuel Beckett wrote much of his work in French as well as English.
Many consider Samuel Beckett a pioneer of absurdist theatre.

Surface Forms

Samuel Beckett main

Morphology

Samuel + Beckett

This is a proper name referring to a specific individual; the biographical meaning (that he is an Irish playwright and novelist associated with the theatre of the absurd) cannot be inferred from the constituent words. Proper names are arbitrary referents, so a learner who knows the parts as names would not be able to derive the specific identity or profession without prior exposure.

Etymology

Samuel Beckett was an Irish writer who lived in France and wrote short, simple plays like 'Waiting for Godot' where two men sit on an empty road and wait for someone who never comes. His empty stages, quiet talk and dark jokes made his name stand for strange, minimal drama about life's meaning, so his name now suggests 'theatre of the absurd'.