ABSTRACT
This chapter takes the spiral path into Samuel Beckett's representation of consciousness and the self, principally through the trilogy, and looks at the works that precede and follow it in his œuvre. It examines the nature of the mind that the authors encounter on the journey, exploring the literary, philosophical and other influences that shape it. Unlike most writers considered here, however, Beckett is less concerned to produce a portrait of the mind as to take us on through it, heading for what lies at the heart of the spiral. As the authors approach this singularity, it is not consciousness but sentience that is Beckett's ultimate concern. Beckett wrote the three novels of his trilogy between 1946 and 1951, a period of intense creativity in the early post-war years that also saw the writing of En attendant Godot, Mercier and Camier, and several shorter texts.
