Emancipatory Aesthetics in Beckett’s Theatre of Affect

This article uses Beckett’s directorial comments on the screened version of What Where (1982), as a point of departure for teasing out the poetic logic of Beckett’s attention to the formal aspects of the stage image. By having formal aspects take precedence over linguistic expression, Beckett refuses closure on the level of language and makes more authentic acts of judgment possible. Such ‘emancipatory aesthetics’ promotes intellectual freedom, a liberating aspect of Beckett’s work sometimes neglected.