Absurdism - Basics Flashcards
When did Absurdism arise?
In the 1950’s, after WWII
Who were the most prevalent absurdist playwrights?
- Alfred Jarry
- Samuel Beckett
- Eugene Ionesco
- Edward Albee
- Harold Pinter
Who were the most prevalent absurdist theorists?
- Albert Camus
- Jean-Paul Sartre
(existentialism)
Who were the most prevalent absurdist artists?
- Marcel Duchamp (Dadaism)
- Max Ernst
- Salvador Dali (Surrealism)
Why did absurdism arise?
In an attempt to understand life after the chaos and brutality of war
What does absurdism express?
Absurdism expresses the failure of traditional values to fulfil man’s spiritual and emotional needs
What did the absurdist playwrights believe about the subconscious mind?
Absurdist playwrights believed that the subconscious mind is the source of the artist’s most significant perceptions
What is the most significant foundational theoretical concept that Absurdism is based on?
Existentialism
What is the main concern of existentialist philosophy?
The meaning of life; what does it mean to ‘exist’?
Who are the most notable existentialists?
Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre
How is Sisyphus’ punishment representative of the human condition?
Sisyphus must struggle perpetually and without hope of success. When he accepts that there is nothing more to life than this absurd struggle, only then can he find happiness in it.
What was the first movement with an essentially absurdist outlook called?
dadaism
How did Dadaist artists feel about aesthetic art?
They mocked and rejected all principles of aesthetic art
What is Sartre’s famous philosophical absurdist quote?
‘man is adrift in a world with no purpose. Therefore, man is free and responsible only for himself. Man has a duty to find his own values and act in accordance with them.’
