How to Be Book Club - "Three Novels" by Samuel Beckett

Existential crises are like a persistent rash. There's no cure, but if you're suffering from the Big Questions, maybe the How To Be Book Club can be a salve. Come hang out in Book Club Bar's back garden one Saturday each month, and join us in discussing works of philosophical fiction from across different eras and parts of the globe. We'll read the book beforehand (and do us a solid, if you can—get your book from our store), and then gather for casual conversation over drinks. No preparation needed; just bring your book and your curious mind!

This February we'll explore moderism, abstraction, metaphysics, and the impossibility of language through our reading of Three Novels by Samuel Beckett, paired with Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein. We're returning to our old friend Beckett to discuss the limits of language, selfhood, and meaning. These novels aren't easy reads, the protagonists speak ceaselessly and urgently as their identities blur and the plot disintegrates, leaving the reader to weigh the failure of words to convey meaning. (We'll mainly be focusing on the final novel, The Unnameable, so if you want to shorten your reading, choose that one!) Wittgenstein, a logic philosopher of the mid 20th century viewed language as a structure with strict limits, beyond which exists most of human perception. His analysis in Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus will help us plumb the question: what does it mean to keep speaking when language cannot promise truth, coherence, or redemption?

This month's picks: by Samuel Beckett

& by Ludwig Wittgenstein

What your ticket includes:

• $8 off any drink at the bar

Grab a brunch cocktail at the bar and tell us what you thought of the book! Our informal discussion will be led by BCB bookseller Keri Kelly.

Registration is capped, so please register early if you are planning on attending. Please note: gratuity for the bartenders is not included. Please use your tickets at the beginning of the event.

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