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A review by samdalefox
Dante and the Lobster by Samuel Beckett
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
I love short stories and I love Samuel Beckett's plays. Upon first reading however, I did not enjoy Dante and the Lobster. However, I found the following paper "Nonhuman Animal Pain and Capital Punishment in Beckett’s “Dante and the Lobster"" (Ebury, K 2017) which added some important context around Irish post-colonial history and Christian allegorical aspects that helped me understand what Beckett may have been going for here.
Overall, I didn't laugh at the dark surrealist humour like I usually would, and found the story honestly a bit boring. Even with my new found appreciation of Irish history with respect to capital punishment and animal pain, I don't think the short story was powerful enough to have clear commentary on the matter.
Link to the paper: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/95812/3/Beckett%20Animals%20and%20Capital%20Punishment%20Corrected%20Submission.pdf
Link to a freely accessible copy of the short story:
https://xpressenglish.com/our-stories/dantes-lobster/
Overall, I didn't laugh at the dark surrealist humour like I usually would, and found the story honestly a bit boring. Even with my new found appreciation of Irish history with respect to capital punishment and animal pain, I don't think the short story was powerful enough to have clear commentary on the matter.
Link to the paper: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/95812/3/Beckett%20Animals%20and%20Capital%20Punishment%20Corrected%20Submission.pdf
Link to a freely accessible copy of the short story:
https://xpressenglish.com/our-stories/dantes-lobster/
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death