Log in / create account
What's your thing?
 
Search

Endpoint: Absurdism



created on: 10/12/2020
by: detum (11686)
 
 

Definition properties

General info :
Absurdism is a genre or field of philosophy, art, literature and humor.

In philosophy, "the Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life, and the human inability to find any in a purposeless, meaningless or chaotic and irrational universe. The universe and the human mind do not each separately cause the Absurd, but rather, the Absurd arises by the contradictory nature of the two existing simultaneously. As a philosophy, absurdism furthermore explores the fundamental nature of the Absurd and how individuals, once becoming conscious of the Absurd, should respond to it. The absurdist philosopher Albert Camus stated that individuals should embrace the absurd condition of human existence.

In literature, the Absurdist Fiction genre arose in the 1950s and 1960s predominantly in France and Germany, prompted by post-war disillusionment. The background of Absurdist Fiction is founded on influences from the surge in Romanticism in Paris in the 1830s, the collapse of religious tradition in Germany and the societal and philosophical revolution lead by the expressions of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Absurdist fiction takes form most commonly in a novel, play, poem, or film, that focuses on the experiences of characters in situations where they cannot find any inherent purpose in life, most often represented by ultimately meaningless actions and events that call into question the certainty of existential concepts such as truth or value. Common elements in absurdist fiction include satire, dark humor, incongruity, the abasement of reason, and controversy regarding the philosophical condition of being "nothing."

Absurdist fiction in play form is known as Absurdist Theatre. Both genres are characterised by a focus on the experience of the characters, centred on the idea that life is incongruous, irreconcilable and meaningless. The integral characteristic of Absurdist fiction involves the experience of the struggle to find an intrinsic purpose in life, depicted by characters in their display of meaningless actions in the futile events they take part in. The Absurdist movement is known to be an extension of the Existentialism movement that focuses on the pointlessness of mankind and specifically, the emotional angst and anxiety present when the existence of purpose is challenged. Existentialist and Agnostic perspectives are explored in Absurdist novels and theatre in their expression of plot and characters. Absurdist Fiction is central to the work of Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, Samuel Beckett, and Eugène Ionesco.

In comedy, surreal humour (also known as absurdist humour or surreal comedy) is a form of humour predicated on deliberate violations of causal reasoning, producing events and behaviours that are obviously illogical. Constructions of surreal humour tend to involve bizarre juxtapositions, incongruity, non-sequiturs, irrational or absurd situations and expressions of nonsense. The humour arises from a subversion of audience expectations, so that amusement is founded on unpredictability, separate from a logical analysis of the situation. The humour derived gets its appeal from the ridiculousness and unlikeliness of the situation. The genre has roots in Surrealism in the arts.
Source :
Copied Wikipedia parts under license :
ENA's

Books

(2 items)

Comics

(16 items)

Item number : 36688

Submitted by : detum (11686)
on : 10/12/2020