Royal Liu

PhD candidate, Department of English
Guiliano Fellow, Spring 2024

Archival Study on Aging and Disability in Samuel Beckett's Plays: Research Trip to Dublin and Conference Presentation (Dublin, Ireland) 

In July 2024, thanks to the Guiliano Fellowship, I was overthrown with joy to embark on a week-long research trip to Dublin, Ireland. Immediately after I arrived in Dublin, I headed straight to the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), which features immersive multimedia exhibitions of Ireland’s literary heritage. I was captivated by the literary artifacts of Samuel Beckett – one of my favorite literary giants – whose life and works have greatly inspired my literary pursuits, such as this funded research journey. My trip included presenting on Beckett’s Endgame at the International Forum on Exchange and Development of Chinese-Irish Literature and exploring Beckett’s biography, annotated typescript, revisions of his Endgame and correspondence at University College Dublin (UCD) and Trinity College Dublin (TCD).  

One conference highlight was an inspiring talk titled “Samuel Beckett and Mutual Learning among Civilizations” by Professor Lidan Lin from Purdue University. She proposed approaches to fostering Chinese-Irish literary encounters–a new subject of study–such as facilitating dialogues between Irish and Chinese writers/artists through interdisciplinary and intermedia studies. I spoke with Professor Lin about how her talk can strengthen the rationale for my second dissertation chapter, which engages an Irish play and a Chinese film Coming Home (2014) in a transnational and intermedia dialogue on the ethical concern of caring for elders with dementia. Professor Lin showed interest in my work and encouraged my exploration of the global concern of aging populations through fostering mutual learning among civilizations.  

I received valuable feedback from the panel after presenting my comparative study of Endgame and Coming Home on reimagining the discourse of age-related dementia. One particularly helpful note suggested an interdisciplinary journal I could consider targeting for submission. I networked with one panelist who took me to the well-known Murphy’s Ice-cream store. While enjoying our ice cream, we caught the attention of a friendly American-Irish senior who, upon hearing about my deep interest in Beckett, recommended I visit Samuel Beckett’s Bridge.  

I spent one morning at the Special Collections in James Joyce Library at UCD as planned. Special thanks go to librarian Eugene Roche, who recommended the publication The Beckett Country: Samuel Beckett’s Ireland. I was blown away by Eoin O’Brien’s detailed analysis of how Beckett’s homeland influenced his works, supported by rich biological information and illustrated by David Davison’s photographs. With a research focus on intergenerational relationships, I gained deeper insights into Beckett’s memories with his parents, which resonate in his works, as further confirmed by O’Brien’s evidence.  

The following days were spent at the library of TCD. I had the privilege of reading closely Professor Stanley E. Gontarski’s correspondence with Beckett from 1972 and his critical edition of The Theatre Notebooks of Endgame. The extensive revisions and annotations by Gontarski, Beckett, and Beckett biographer James Knowlson deepened my understanding of the play, even its smallest moments. Alongside the photographs and fliers produced by the Pike Theatre, I was inspired to pay more attention to the nuanced changes across various genres, recognizing Beckett’s creativity in drawing upon and crossing various media (painting, action, music, and performance).  

Then, I viewed microfilms of Beckett’s letters, typescripts, and reading notes, which confirmed his familiarity with amnesia, mental disability, and eye diseases. It was informational to my research to identify moments in the correspondence where Beckett’s coworkers recognized him as an aging artist in his seventies and tried to engage him in social activities by discussing theatre with him, which Beckett greatly appreciated. I am thankful for Dr. Jane Maxwell, Ms. Aisling Lockhart, and Margaret Masterson for their help with my studies at Research Collections, and for Joe Yeates, Ruairi MacCallan, and Emily Srarem for their assistance in adjusting the microfilms. 

The Guiliano Global Fellowship Program offers students the opportunity to carry out research, creative expression and cultural activities for personal development through traveling outside of their comfort zone.

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