By taking the principles of manuscript genetics and using them to engage in a comparative study of James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, Dirk Van Hulle has produced a provocative work that re-imagines the links between the two authors. His elegant readings reveal that the most striking similarities between these two lie not in their nationality or style but in their shared fascination with the process of revision.
Van Hulle's thoughtful application of genetic theory—the study of a work from manuscript to final form in its various iterations—marks a new phase in this dynamic field of inquiry. As one of only a handful of books in English dealing with this emerging area of study,
Manuscript Genetics, Joyce's Know-How, Beckett's Nohow
will be indispensable not only to Joyce and Beckett scholars but also to anyone interested in genetic criticism.