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Ping (short story)

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98:, a specifically metallic onomatopoeia, may refer to Beckett's medical history. Beckett was hospitalized in 1964 and 1965. He was then diagnosed with double cataracts in 1966 and a number of people in his life either died or became ill. O'Hara hypothesized that the 79:
in the tomb to a person in a hospital bed post-surgery to "the first act of creation". The story is basic and repetitive, allowing a range of possibilities, but the standard interpretation is that "Ping" covers the last moments of a person's life.
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has described "Ping" as: "the rendering of the consciousness of a person confined in a small, bare, white room, a person who is evidently under extreme duress, and probably at the last gasp of life."
38:"Ping" is a very compact short story punctuated only by periods. The story is barely two pages but is usually presented in a justified alignment to heighten the feeling of 27:
in French (originally "Bing") in 1966. Beckett later translated it into English and published it in 1967. The French version was set to music by the composer
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compressed sculptures of crushed cars, all the constituent elements are squashed into an uncomfortable proximity In
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The interpretation of "Ping" has been heavily debated since its publication. Interpretations have ranged from
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could mark the character's shifting mindset from optimism to despair. O'Hara speculated that the use of
864: 858: 847: 50:'s prose style is its most immediate and most intriguing aspect; it seems condensed or undiluted. Like 870: 547: 58:, all the spaces between, the gaps, have been forced out; no air flows around the words. Read aloud, 830: 689: 668: 654: 249: 770: 703: 675: 533: 494: 459: 163: 879: 724: 629: 406: 343: 336: 322: 32: 8: 315: 103: 51: 608: 487: 427: 745: 737: 526: 480: 350: 308: 301: 206: 183: 28: 682: 175: 852: 816: 809: 731: 661: 399: 823: 615: 594: 420: 329: 272: 179: 122: 39: 24: 904: 452: 371: 187: 752: 601: 473: 294: 84: 622: 565: 540: 364: 357: 20: 434: 636: 392: 385: 230: 791: 501: 63: 886: 717: 413: 241: 519: 466: 201:
Gass, William H. (1989). "Philosophy and the Form of Fiction".
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Additional discussion focused on the interpretation of the
205:. Nonpareil books (3. print ed.). Boston: Godine. 902: 31:with Beckett's help in 1981 and redone in 2001. 257: 264: 250: 161: 228: 203:Fiction and The Figures of Life: Essays 903: 245: 145:Lodge, David. "Some Ping Understood" 200: 157: 155: 141: 139: 90:scattered throughout the story. The 13: 785:The Complete Short Prose 1929–1989 271: 168:Samuel Beckett Today / Aujourd'hui 123:"Bing (80/81) | Jean-Yves Bosseur" 70: 14: 927: 848:Suzanne Dechevaux-Dumesnil (wife) 222: 152: 136: 236:. Translated by Beckett, Samuel. 164:"The Metronome of Consciousness" 916:Short stories by Samuel Beckett 588:Dream of Fair to Middling Women 194: 115: 1: 778:Stories and Texts for Nothing 149:, February 1968. Pages 85-89. 7: 10: 932: 865:Journal of Beckett Studies 180:10.1163/18757405-022001030 162:O'Hara, Dan (2010-10-01). 104:electrocardiograph machine 42:. As noted by Dan O'Hara, 840: 801: 762: 646: 579: 557: 511: 444: 286: 279: 831:The Capital of the Ruins 690:Imagination Dead Imagine 229:Beckett, Samuel (1967). 109: 763:Short story collections 771:More Pricks Than Kicks 676:From an Abandoned Work 534:... but the clouds ... 460:From an Abandoned Work 102:were the sounds of an 68: 880:Samuel Beckett Bridge 859:James Beckett (uncle) 44: 407:A Piece of Monologue 344:Rough for Theatre II 323:Act Without Words II 316:Act Without Words I 911:1966 short stories 890:(2015 documentary) 609:Mercier and Camier 488:Rough for Radio II 898: 897: 746:Ill Seen Ill Said 575: 574: 481:Rough for Radio I 337:Krapp's Last Tape 309:Waiting for Godot 212:978-0-87923-254-2 29:Jean-Yves Bosseur 923: 891: 683:All Strange Away 548:Nacht und Träume 284: 283: 266: 259: 252: 243: 242: 237: 235: 217: 216: 198: 192: 191: 159: 150: 143: 134: 133: 131: 130: 119: 46:"The density of 931: 930: 926: 925: 924: 922: 921: 920: 901: 900: 899: 894: 884: 853:Frances Beckett 836: 810:Three Dialogues 797: 758: 732:Stirrings Still 642: 571: 553: 507: 495:Words and Music 440: 275: 270: 238:English version 233: 225: 220: 213: 199: 195: 160: 153: 144: 137: 128: 126: 121: 120: 116: 112: 73: 71:Interpretations 12: 11: 5: 929: 919: 918: 913: 896: 895: 893: 892: 882: 877: 873:Samuel Beckett 868: 861: 856: 850: 844: 842: 838: 837: 835: 834: 827: 820: 813: 805: 803: 799: 798: 796: 795: 788: 781: 774: 766: 764: 760: 759: 757: 756: 749: 742: 735: 728: 721: 714: 707: 700: 693: 686: 679: 672: 665: 658: 650: 648: 644: 643: 641: 640: 633: 626: 619: 612: 605: 598: 591: 583: 581: 577: 576: 573: 572: 570: 569: 561: 559: 555: 554: 552: 551: 544: 537: 530: 523: 515: 513: 509: 508: 506: 505: 498: 491: 484: 477: 470: 463: 456: 448: 446: 442: 441: 439: 438: 431: 424: 421:Ohio Impromptu 417: 410: 403: 396: 389: 382: 375: 368: 361: 354: 347: 340: 333: 326: 319: 312: 305: 298: 290: 288: 281: 277: 276: 273:Samuel Beckett 269: 268: 261: 254: 246: 240: 239: 224: 223:External links 221: 219: 218: 211: 193: 174:(1): 435–447. 151: 135: 113: 111: 108: 72: 69: 40:claustrophobia 25:Samuel Beckett 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 928: 917: 914: 912: 909: 908: 906: 889: 888: 883: 881: 878: 876: 874: 869: 867: 866: 862: 860: 857: 854: 851: 849: 846: 845: 843: 839: 832: 828: 826: 825: 821: 819: 818: 814: 811: 807: 806: 804: 800: 794: 793: 789: 787: 786: 782: 780: 779: 775: 773: 772: 768: 767: 765: 761: 754: 750: 748: 747: 743: 741: 740: 736: 733: 729: 726: 722: 720: 719: 715: 712: 711:The Lost Ones 708: 705: 701: 698: 694: 691: 687: 684: 680: 677: 673: 670: 666: 663: 659: 656: 652: 651: 649: 647:Short stories 645: 639: 638: 634: 632: 631: 630:The Unnamable 627: 625: 624: 620: 618: 617: 613: 611: 610: 606: 604: 603: 599: 597: 596: 592: 590: 589: 585: 584: 582: 578: 568: 567: 563: 562: 560: 556: 550: 549: 545: 543: 542: 538: 536: 535: 531: 529: 528: 524: 522: 521: 517: 516: 514: 510: 504: 503: 499: 497: 496: 492: 490: 489: 485: 483: 482: 478: 476: 475: 471: 469: 468: 464: 462: 461: 457: 455: 454: 453:All That Fall 450: 449: 447: 443: 437: 436: 432: 430: 429: 425: 423: 422: 418: 416: 415: 411: 409: 408: 404: 402: 401: 397: 395: 394: 390: 388: 387: 383: 381: 380: 376: 374: 373: 369: 367: 366: 362: 360: 359: 355: 353: 352: 348: 346: 345: 341: 339: 338: 334: 332: 331: 327: 325: 324: 320: 318: 317: 313: 311: 310: 306: 304: 303: 299: 297: 296: 292: 291: 289: 285: 282: 278: 274: 267: 262: 260: 255: 253: 248: 247: 244: 232: 227: 226: 214: 208: 204: 197: 189: 185: 181: 177: 173: 169: 165: 158: 156: 148: 142: 140: 124: 118: 114: 107: 105: 101: 97: 93: 89: 86: 81: 78: 67: 65: 61: 57: 53: 49: 43: 41: 36: 34: 30: 26: 22: 18: 885: 872: 863: 822: 815: 790: 783: 776: 769: 753:Worstward Ho 744: 738: 716: 696: 662:Echo's Bones 635: 628: 621: 614: 607: 600: 593: 586: 564: 546: 539: 532: 525: 518: 500: 493: 486: 479: 474:The Old Tune 472: 465: 458: 451: 433: 426: 419: 412: 405: 398: 391: 384: 377: 370: 363: 356: 349: 342: 335: 328: 321: 314: 307: 300: 295:Human Wishes 293: 202: 196: 171: 167: 146: 127:. Retrieved 117: 99: 95: 91: 87: 85:onomatopoeia 82: 77:Jesus Christ 74: 62:enacts this 59: 55: 47: 45: 37: 16: 15: 802:Non-fiction 623:Malone Dies 541:Quad I + II 428:Catastrophe 365:Come and Go 125:(in French) 33:David Lodge 23:written by 21:short story 905:Categories 669:First Love 655:Assumption 527:Ghost Trio 512:Television 435:What Where 351:Happy Days 302:Eleutheria 129:2024-02-24 637:How It Is 393:Footfalls 386:That Time 188:0927-3131 147:Encounter 817:Disjecta 792:Nohow On 704:Lessness 502:Cascando 64:asphyxia 887:Notfilm 841:Related 739:Company 725:neither 718:Fizzles 414:Rockaby 400:Neither 330:Endgame 287:Theatre 52:César's 855:(aunt) 824:Proust 616:Molloy 595:Murphy 580:Novels 558:Screen 520:Eh Joe 467:Embers 372:Breath 231:"Ping" 209:  186:  17:"Ping" 875:(P61) 445:Radio 379:Not I 280:Plays 234:(PDF) 110:Notes 100:pings 92:pings 19:is a 697:Ping 602:Watt 566:Film 358:Play 207:ISBN 184:ISSN 96:ping 88:ping 60:Ping 56:Ping 48:Ping 871:LÉ 176:doi 106:. 907:: 182:. 172:22 170:. 166:. 154:^ 138:^ 66:." 833:" 829:" 812:" 808:" 755:" 751:" 734:" 730:" 727:" 723:" 713:" 709:" 706:" 702:" 699:" 695:" 692:" 688:" 685:" 681:" 678:" 674:" 671:" 667:" 664:" 660:" 657:" 653:" 265:e 258:t 251:v 215:. 190:. 178:: 132:.

Index

short story
Samuel Beckett
Jean-Yves Bosseur
David Lodge
claustrophobia
César's
asphyxia
Jesus Christ
onomatopoeia
electrocardiograph machine
"Bing (80/81) | Jean-Yves Bosseur"




"The Metronome of Consciousness"
doi
10.1163/18757405-022001030
ISSN
0927-3131
ISBN
978-0-87923-254-2
"Ping"
v
t
e
Samuel Beckett
Human Wishes
Eleutheria
Waiting for Godot

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