Читать книгу Against Reason - Anthony Barron - Страница 7

My academic development has benefited in numerous ways from the conscientious encouragement and profoundly insightful guidance of Sam Slote, who, in his role as my Ph.D. supervisor, aided the completion of the dissertation upon which this book is based. While many will continue to benefit from Sam’s academic expertise, my own sense of gratitude to him will be recalled with profound esteem for his qualities as a scholar and as a man.

I also wish to acknowledge the benevolence of Mark Nixon who, in providing me with early access to his work on Beckett’s German Diaries, helped to shape some of my nascent ideas about my chosen theme. In promptly responding to various queries which arose during my studies, Mark showed a consistent willingness to assist my emerging thoughts.

My readings of Beckett’s unpublished writings at TCD were facilitated by the efforts of Jane Maxwell and Paula Norris; they were unstintingly helpful in enabling me to access such material. I hereby commend them for their efforts on my behalf.

The progression of this work from its origins as a Ph.D. dissertation to its current form was enhanced by the remarkable levels of kindness and encouragement shown to me by Professors Matthew Feldman and Christopher Morash. In their capacity as my Ph.D. examiners they offered advice which proved to be of inestimable value as I prepared this work for publication.

My work with The Waterford Philosophical Society has enhanced my awareness of the innumerable rewards to be enjoyed from sharing my passion for the arts and the history of ideas among devoted enthusiasts. I wish to thank those who, in actively participating in my classes in Waterford, helped me to attain deeper insights into the masterworks of Western culture.

On a more personal level, I am incomparably indebted to three people who enabled me to pursue my academic goals in an atmosphere of love and abiding loyalty. Having lost those individuals during my postgraduate studies I know that I have been left enduringly bereft, yet they reside within my thoughts as exemplars of all that I aspire to be. I dedicate this work to my mother, my uncle, and my grandmother, whose lives enriched my being, whose passing has proved utterly harrowing. Moments of desolation were, however, considerably eased by the company of Trixie, a sentient being whose cherished presence is dearly missed.

As this work neared publication I was blessed with domestic felicity. Joanna, you have taught me how the life of the mind is nourished by abounding love. Non intratur in veritatem nisi per caritatem (Saint Augustine).

Parts of Chapter One appeared in my essay entitled ‘An Agon with the Twilighters: Samuel Beckett and the Primacy of the Aesthetic’ in the Spring/Summer 2012 issue of the Irish University Review. I am thankful for the willingness of the editors of that journal, in particular Lucy Collins, to publish sections of my research.