The most obvious association here is with The range of suggestion of the English Testew and Cunard is limited when compared to the vistas opened up, for the amateur of puns, by the Rabelaisian French names they are derived from: Testu et Conard. This helps to explain the "public works" they are involved in, whilst both names are vaguely reminiscent of those of actual authorities such as James Watt or the French mathematician Louis Poinsot. Puncher and Wattman in the English text are a rather lacklustre Anglicisation of the FrenchĪ wattman in French being a tramdriver, so that Poinçon ( poinçon=ticket punch) is his conductor. Similar resonances are present in the names of most of the "scholars" Lucky mentions. Recalls Bourg-en-Bresse, a centre not of learning but of gastronomy, and Beckett’s replacement of Bourg by the Swiss Berne is probably to be explained by the association with the verb berner, to In French, an amusingly obscure or provincial-sounding town which in fact doesn’t exist. the English "Acacacacademy of Anthropopometry of No doubt the most striking loss of this kind to the English reader is the humour Beckett derives from a mixture of real and invented proper names in Lucky’s speech in the French Waiting for Godot, where the punning is dazzlingly rich. Meditation on the two thieves earlier in the play. There actuallyĮxists a département called Seine-et-Marne, but the other names are takeoffs on this.ġ6 These départements do exist and were regions in which a number of WWI battlesġ8 Continuation of previous pun: Voltaire was impotent.ġ9 Further continuation-reference to masturbation.Ģ0 Another sexual pun in this case, well-hung.Ģ2 The century in which St Augustine produced his writings. Root in this context, it refers to being a dumb asshole for sport.ġ4 Sexual pun, referring to post-coital penis.ġ5 Satiric names for French départements (roughly equivalent to counties), all centredĪround the confluence of the Seine, Oise and Marne rivers in Paris. By omitting the first syllable of établie, established, Lucky echoes theįinal two syllables tabli, tabled e.g., to put aside (like the work of Testu and Conard).ġ1 Sexual pun on the inability to achieve orgasm.ġ2 conation-word coined by Beckett, using his favourite word con (stupid asshole) as a In this case, "calcus" roughly means bedrock.įoreshadowing of repeated use of the word "stone".ĩ French pun. 5 Daughter of Prospero the name means "admirable"Ĩ calcus related to Latin root for rock.
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