20th century-isms: Existentialism Flashcards
1
Q
Existentionalism:
ORIGIN & DECADE
A
Popular in 1950’s
After 1945 & WW2, life lost its meaning
2
Q
Existentialism:
HISTORICAL /POLITICAL EVENTS
A
- Rise of Communism
- Cold War
- Unfathomable atrocities of WW2
- Nuremberg trials- men judged for following orders
- McCarthy hearings- return to witch hunting
- Cold-war paranoia; trust no one
3
Q
Existentialism:
THEATRICAL TRENDS / PRACTICES
A
- Little joy
- Attracted to absurdity+irony of life
- Anti-social view of life
- No casuality / linear development, circular action, frequently unresolved
- Time & place often generalised
4
Q
Existentialism
RESPONSE TO 20TH CENTURY CONTEXT
A
-Futility & hopelessness
-Man questioned his own beliefs & values
(trauma of living from 1945 under threat of nuclear annihilation = NB factor in the rise of this theatre)
5
Q
Existentialism:
WORLDVIEW
A
- Religious faith shaken- man alone in a world without God
- Every person responsible for own destiny
- Individual freedom= individual separated from society
- Existence= fear, loneliness, only grave at the end
6
Q
Existentialism:
KEY FEATURES
A
- Man existed in a metaphorical void
- Repetitious activity instead of logical action, automatic behaviour- often inappropriate
- Can have circular structure & unexplained actions
- Plotless plays
- Discontinuous dialogue
7
Q
Existentialism:
PURPOSE
A
Search for images of non-reason, lost faith in reason, man is lost
8
Q
Existentialsm:
PRACTITIONERS
A
Jean Paul Sartre
