Weakness and Pietas in Gianni Vattimo’s Weak Thought and Samuel Beckett’s “Dante and the Lobster”
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: The following article offers an analysis of Samuel Beckett’s short story “Dante and the Lobster” through the lens of Gianni Vattimo’s weak thought. It claims that Beckett’s short story provides a more practical perspective on Vattimo’s notion of weakness and on his call for an ethics based on pietas. As it focuses on the specific vulnerability of individual entities—specifically a lobster about to be boiled alive—“Dante and the Lobster” highlights the importance of considering weakness not merely as an abstract notion but as an actual condition of beings.
Author: Alberto Tondello
Institutions: University of Bern, University of Edinburgh
Language: English
Topic: Samuel Beckett and Modernism
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4403477217