Samuel Beckett
Digital Manuscript ProjectThat Time / Cette fois

Catalogue

Due to an agreement with the Estate of Samuel Beckett and the publishers of Beckett's work, the digital edition of That Time / Cette fois only contains draft versions leading up to the publication of the text (the so-called 'avant-texte'), including page proofs. It therefore excludes epigenetic material such as later annotated editions.

MS-UoR-1477-1 (EM)

Original manuscript of That Time. 30 x 21 cm. 13 leaves. Dated f. 1 Paris, 8 June 1974, last date (f. 9) Ussy, 18 June 1974. Written and corrected in black ink. This appears to be the initial draft of the play. [...] The first three leaves are given over to notes on production and staging, and ff. 4-12 contains drafts of the actual spoken text. The notes on the bottom of f. 12 and on f. 13, under the heading 'Directions', revert to notes on the staging. The first three leaves are numbered by Beckett in black ink, while the rest are numbered by RUL. The notes on ff. 1-3 include precise details on the sequence of A, B and C, the duration of each speech, and the interaction of the actual word count with the duration of each speech. Diagrammatic representation and analysis of the sound and shape of the play is found here, with interruptions and silences noted alongside the calculations of word-counts in the monologues. Beckett seems to have divided the play into three five-minute sections of speech, with silences after five and ten minutes.

The text is divided by Beckett into 'A' 1-2 on ff. 4-5, 'B' 1-3 on ff. 6-8 and 'C' 1-4 on ff. 9-[12]. These letters refer to the three voices of the play and the sub-sections of their monologues. [...] The sheet headed 'A1' (f. 4), is a photocopy.

Bryden, Mary, Julian Garforth, and Peter Mills (1998), Beckett at Reading: Catalogue of the Beckett Manuscript Collection at the University of Reading (Reading: Whiteknights Press and the Beckett International Foundation), pp. 89-90.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as EN.

MS-UoR-1477-2 (ET1)

Untitled typescript, with manuscript additions and corrections by Samuel Beckett, of That Time; undated. 30 x 21 cm. 6 leaves; f. 1 headed 'TS 1' in black ink by Beckett. There are no stage directions in this draft. Pagination by Beckett is according to monologue: f. 1 is headed 'A1', f. 2 is headed 'A2', f. 3 'B1', and f. 4 'B2', all in Beckett's hand. Ff. 5 and 6 are headed 'C1' and 'C2' respectively, in type. Corrections are made in black ink and red ball-pen. Beckett has inserted a word count for sections 'A' on f. 2 (860 words) and 'B' on f. 4 (1030 words). There is no word count for 'C', the section still being in some considerable flux at this stage. There is a change in typeface after f. 2. Thus we note a break in composition of this draft, while the change in variety of paper between sections 'B' and 'C' suggests a possible second break. Beckett has changed the ribbon on his typewriter half-way down f. 5.

The red ink is used predominately to demarcate the sub-sections of the 'A', 'B' and 'C' monologues. Beckett has scored a red line to the immediate left of his text, with chevron indentations to mark the divisions between the sections, which, in this early draft, are less distinct than in later versions. The corrections made in black ink are found in the text and in the margin. The typed corrections made in black ink are found in the text and in the margin. The typed corrections are principally straightforward deletions in the text, with one marginal correction.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as ET1.

MS-UoR-1477-3 (ET2)

Untitled typescript, with manuscript additions and corrections by Samuel Beckett, of a revised version of That Time; undated. 30 x 21 cm. 9 leaves. Inscribed 'TS 2' by Beckett. Pagination ff. 1-9 in Beckett's hand. Item corrected by Beckett in black ink. Beckett divides his pages into three equal vertical columns, headed 'A', 'B', and 'C'. In these columns, he meticulously places each burst of speech in the correct order. The order reveals itself as A C A B, C B C A, B A B C on ff. 1-5. This is then repeated on ff. 6-9. This is the structure outlined in the holograph notes which accompany MS [1477]/1 but is here vividly realised via the formal organisational device of the columnar structure. Beckett has underlined in type the first and last three or four words of each of the sub-sections. These underlinings emphasise the continuity of voices.

The piece includes minor stage directions incorporated into the text, in type on f. 4 after sub-section 'A4', and on f. 9 after the final sub-section 'C8'. Manuscript stage directions are added by Beckett on f. 1, above 'A1', at the start of the piece, and on f. 6 after 'B5'. The typed directions on f. 4 are subject to manuscript deletion and correction.

The columnar arrangement of material allows Beckett to work very closely on the individual sub-sections of the piece. Each of these units is corrected and re-worked. The text at the opening of the piece, A C A, is most heavily redrafted. There is a system of manuscript numbering by which Beckett orders the sub-sections; this peters out on f. 5. The draft contains twenty-four sub-sections, eight for each voice.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as ET2.

MS-UoR-1477-4 (ET3)

Untitled typescript with manuscript additions and corrections by Samuel Beckett of a revised version of That Time; undated. 3 leaves. 30 x 21 cm. Inscribed on f. 1 'TS 3' by Beckett. Corrections are made in the text and margins using pencil, black ink and type. Each leaf is headed in pencil by Beckett (eg. f. 1 'A 71'), the numbers referring to the line-count in each monologue. Ff. 1, 2 and 3 are 'complete' versions of the monologues 'A', 'B' and 'C'. Each leaf and the monologue it contains is divided by Beckett into twelve sections in pencil. The text runs over to the verso of the leaf on all three leaves. Thus, there are now thirty-six sections in the play, as opposed to the twenty-four of previous drafts.

Text on verso of each leaf appears to have originally been on a separate piece of paper which was sellotaped to bottom of leaf.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as ET3.

MS-UoR-1477-5 (ET4)

Untitled typescript with manuscript additions and corrections by Samuel Beckett of a revised version of That Time; undated. 30 x 21 cm. 5 leaves; f. 1 is inscribed 'TS 4' by Beckett. There are no stage directions in this draft; Beckett's concern is with the rhythm and organisation of the text. Corrections are made to the text using black ink, pencil, and type. The top left corner of f. 1 is marked with an encircled 'S' [Silence] in black ink. The draft uses the technique of intercutting between the voices A, B and C, as found in the published version, but the order of the sections is still at some considerable variance with that later text. Each textual unit is marked and numbered by Beckett in black ink, the first three being 'A1', 'B1' and 'C1', continuing thus until 'A12', 'B12' and 'C12' on f. 5. Thus, there are thirty-six sub-sections to this draft. The order of material is considerably revised via arrows which indicate changes and reversals in three places in the section sequence.

This draft contains much correction and deletion of material alongside the structural re-arrangements. The heavily revised sections on f. 4 include substitutions of phrases and the full deletion of one section. Most sub-sections in this draft are corrected at least once, illustrating how, even at this relatively late stage, the text is still in a state of development. The opening and final silences, along with the internal or 'median' silences, are marked in the margins by a circled capital 'S' in black ink.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as ET4.

MS-UoR-1477-6 (ET5)

Typescript, with manuscript additions and corrections by Samuel Beckett, of a revised version of That Time. Undated. 7 leaves. 30 x 21 cm. Titled on f. 1, inscribed 'TS 5'; f. 7 inscribed Paris, 10 July 1974. This version has a title page, preliminary stage directions and a concluding note on how the voices may be differentiated in production. [...]

Black ink corrects the stage directions and several marginal additions, while black ball-pen is used to modify single words or short phrases in the text or the left margin. Blue ball-pen is used to delete longer phrases. Pencil is the most prolifically employed of the five methods, being used to number the sections (1-36) and to supply internal and marginal comments and corrections to the text. The stage direction 'eyes close' is added twice in pencil, once in black ball-pen. Red ball-pen is used to add a tick of approval to the position of each passage in the sequence of thirty-six textual units and also to correct the unsatisfactory positions of several such sections: units 18 and 20 exchange places, for example. The final stage direction is heavily corrected in red-ball pen. The last line of this direction, concerning the 'selective recording' which will emphasise the differences in the voices, is corrected in black ink, and then this is itself corrected in red ball-pen.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as ET5.

MS-UoR-1477-10 (ET6)

Untitled typescript, with manuscript additions and corrections by Samuel Beckett, of a revised version of That Time; undated. 30 x 21 cm. 6 leaves. At least two stages of revisions, with corrections made in black ink, red ball-pen and type; examples of each are to be found in left margin and in text. This typescript divides the text into the A, B and C monologues, and presents them in an unfragmented block. Thus, A occupies ff. 1-2, B ff. 3-4 and C ff. 5-6. Each leaf is headed 'Continuity', followed by the appropriate letter: A, B, or C. [...]

In this important transitional draft, the sections of the monologues are divided using lines in black ink which underscore the last line of each section, recalling the device used in the columnar draft MS [1477]/3. In conjunction with this, there is a sequence of numbers in the same ink in the left margin. These numbers are placed adjacent to the appropriate section and refer to the position of that particular unit in the overall A, B, C sequence. There is a secondary listing of numbers in red ink further to the left in the same margin, which refers to the mass of calculations found in the lower portion of f. 4.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as ET6.

MS-UoR-1639 (EN)

Original manuscript notes by Beckett towards stage directions for That Time; undated. 30 x 21 cm. 2 leaves. [...] On f. 2 there are three draft listings of A B C sequences similar to those found in MS [1477]/10, f. 4. The first two lists are crossed through, while the third is ticked by Beckett, and the sequence detailed here is the one found in the final version. In the lower portion of f. 2, Beckett has listed the entire text, with the sections being listed A B C 1-12 and identified by their first and last phrases. Numbers 1-36 are in black ink, while all other material in this item is in red ball-pen.

Folio 02r abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as EN.

MS-UoR-1477-9 (ET7)

Untitled carbon typescript, with manuscript corrections and additions by Samuel Beckett, of a revised version of That Time; undated. 30 x 21 cm.6 [sic] leaves. [...] Corrections are minor, with some developments upon those in MS [1477]/10, and are made in red ball-pen, [...] black ink and type. Textual evidence, alongside the order of sections, places this item as later than the previous draft.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as ET7.

MS-UoR-1477-7 (ET8)

Untitled typescript, with manuscript additions and corrections by Samuel Beckett, of a revised version of That Time; undated. 30 x 21 cm. 5 leaves; f. 1 headed 'TS 6' by Beckett in black ink. [...] This is a complete version of the text with full stage directions, and two new drafts, in Beckett's hand, of the final note on the technical problems of staging the overlapping voices, one on verso of f. 5. This draft is based on the sequence of numbered sections worked out in the pair of 'continuity' typescripts which Beckett produced between 'TS 5' (MS [1477]/6) and this item, 'TS6'. The sections go unnumbered here and are found in their final 'A C B A' order. It is lightly corrected in black ink by Beckett, in text and margin. These adjustments involve single word changes and short deletions or additions.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as ET8.

MS-UoR-1477-8 (ET9)

Corrected carbon typescript of a revised version of That Time. 30 x 21 cm. 7 leaves; f. 1 headed 'TS 7'. Foot of f. 7 dated Paris, August 1975, in Beckett's hand.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as ET9.

MS-BC-1991001-13-4 (RC playscript)

Playscript produced by the Royal Court for their premiere of That Time on 20 May 1976.

Samuel Beckett Collection, John J. Burns Library, Boston College (http://hdl.handle.net/2345/3248).

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as RC playscript.

MS-UoR-1657-1 (FM)

Original manuscript of Cette fois, Samuel Beckett's translation of That Time into French; undated. With the author's corrections and additions. 10 leaves. 30 x 21 cm. Text written and corrected in black ink. Text divided into three major sections: A, B, and C. Each of these is divided into twelve sub-sections in a manner similar to the technique used in drafting the original English piece: see MS [1477]/2, for example. These sections are individually numbered by Beckett, and occupy three leaves each. The last leaf carries a 'Note' relating to the staging of the play.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as FM.

MS-UoR-1657-2 (FT1)

Typescript of Cette fois, Samuel Beckett's translation of That Time into French; undated. With manuscript additions and corrections by the author. 9 leaves. 30 x 21 cm. This typescript is corrected in several separate stages, using black ink, pencil, red and green ball-pens and type. All categories of manuscript revision are found in the text and margins [...]. Most of the thirty-six sections are crossed through in a single stroke of artist's pencil. Beckett retains the separate sections A, B, and C, and employs a dual system of numbering: each section is numbered in type 1-12 and also, in ink, according to its position in the sequence. Some handwritten staging directions. Pagination is in type and black felt-tip.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as FT1.

MS-UoR-1657-3 (FT2)

Typescript of Cette fois, Samuel Beckett's translation of That Time into French; undated. With the author's manuscript corrections and additions. 8 leaves. 30 x 21 cm. Titled. Corrections are made in black ink and pencil. Both found in text and margins, with ink used for textual correction only, while pencil is used for numbering of sections in addition to corrections. Begins with staging directions and concludes with a variant draft of the final 'Note'. First leaf is a title page.

Text now arranged in final sequence, but still undergoing internal adjustment, and thus still contains variants. Numbering is simple; each section marked A, B or C and 1-12. So the opening trio is marked A1, C1, B1 and this continues to final set: B12, A12, C12. Pagination in type, 2-7 on ff. 3-8.

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as FT2.

MS-UoR-3628 (PPM)

Page proofs of Catastrophe et autres dramaticules (Les Éditions de Minuit, 1982) with handwritten alterations. Includes page proofs of Cette fois, Solo, Berceuse, Impromptu d'Ohio, Catastrophe. The proofs for Cette fois are without authorial corrections, featuring instructions for the printer in a hand other than Beckett's.

University of Reading, Samuel Beckett Collection (http://www.reading.ac.uk/adlib/Details/archiveSpecial/110074915).

Abbreviated in the Manuscript Chronology as PPM.