Beckett y Cortázar: contextos de encierro

Abstract

Being contemporary writers, Samuel Beckett and Julio Cortázar share a certain international political context, especially regarding the influence and consequences of the world wars. But they are also united somehow through their migrant and ideological paths. It is feasible therefore to find coincidences in their literary works as well as in their personal and professional trajectories. In this paper, we will approach the topic of enclosed contexts from the field of Comparative Literatures, we will place our attention on Beckett’s late period and the last drama pieces written by Cortázar, an aspect of his oeuvre that has not been studied in depth. The historical processes are reflected in these plays that share the characteristic of being closed systems: the action takes place in one act and in limited spaces, in which the characters are oppressors and oppressed. In our current context, these enclosed environments are resignified in terms of confinement, isolation, and alienation. We will focus then on the restrictions regarding space, movement, and language.