“Heavens What Are They Up To!”
The Lustful Gaze in Beckett’s Happy Days
In: Samuel Beckett Today / Aujourd'huiSearch for other papers by Katherine Weiss in
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Abstract
In Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, the protagonist Winnie recalls being gawked at by an offensive passerby. Despite the pain she endures from this crude fellow whose looking represents the patriarchal gaze, the aging Winnie seeks attention from her husband and the audience. In her need for attention, that is to-be-looked-at, Winnie reveals that she is not meek. She fondly recollects men from her past and with pleasure looks at a pornographic postcard she takes from her partner, Willie. Beckett’s play complicates the patriarchal gaze with its exploration of the female gaze—a gaze that reveals Winnie’s desire for sexual intimacy.
Résumé
Dans Oh les beaux jours de Samuel Beckett, Winnie, la protagoniste, se rappelle avoir été dévisagée par un passant de manière déplaisante. Malgré la douleur dont elle souffre du fait du regard patriarcal de cet homme grossier, la Winnie vieillissante recherche l’ attention de son mari et du public. Dans son besoin d’ attention, c’ est-à-dire ‘d’ être-regardée’, Winnie révèle qu’ elle n’ est en aucune façon soumise. Elle se souvient avec plaisir des hommes de son passé et regarde avec délectation une carte postale pornographique qui appartient à Willie, son compagnon. Par son exploration du regard féminin, la pièce de Beckett complique le regard patriarcal—un regard qui révèle le désir d’ intimité sexuelle de Winnie.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 334 | 54 | 6 |
| Full Text Views | 61 | 19 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 132 | 23 | 0 |
“Heavens What Are They Up To!”
The Lustful Gaze in Beckett’s Happy Days
In: Samuel Beckett Today / Aujourd'huiSearch for other papers by Katherine Weiss in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
In Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days, the protagonist Winnie recalls being gawked at by an offensive passerby. Despite the pain she endures from this crude fellow whose looking represents the patriarchal gaze, the aging Winnie seeks attention from her husband and the audience. In her need for attention, that is to-be-looked-at, Winnie reveals that she is not meek. She fondly recollects men from her past and with pleasure looks at a pornographic postcard she takes from her partner, Willie. Beckett’s play complicates the patriarchal gaze with its exploration of the female gaze—a gaze that reveals Winnie’s desire for sexual intimacy.
Résumé
Dans Oh les beaux jours de Samuel Beckett, Winnie, la protagoniste, se rappelle avoir été dévisagée par un passant de manière déplaisante. Malgré la douleur dont elle souffre du fait du regard patriarcal de cet homme grossier, la Winnie vieillissante recherche l’ attention de son mari et du public. Dans son besoin d’ attention, c’ est-à-dire ‘d’ être-regardée’, Winnie révèle qu’ elle n’ est en aucune façon soumise. Elle se souvient avec plaisir des hommes de son passé et regarde avec délectation une carte postale pornographique qui appartient à Willie, son compagnon. Par son exploration du regard féminin, la pièce de Beckett complique le regard patriarcal—un regard qui révèle le désir d’ intimité sexuelle de Winnie.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 334 | 54 | 6 |
| Full Text Views | 61 | 19 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 132 | 23 | 0 |