THEA 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Samuel Beckett, Albert Camus, Vaudeville
Document Summary
Absurdism was coined by martin esslin and derived from an essay by albert camus entitled the myth of sisyphus who defined the human situation as basically meaningless and absurd. A reaction to wwii and the nuclear bomb and impermanent. Many writers were involved and grew up during world war 2. One never knew when death would come so there are cynicism to the writings. Even though many are comedies the underneath themes are often dark. Showed the total impermanence of any values, shook the validity of any conventions and highlighted the precariousness of human life and its fundamental meaninglessness and arbitrariness. The trauma of nuclear annihilation affected the writing and new theater. A belief that man is inhabiting a universe with which he is out of key. Basic tenets and elements is indecipherable and his place within it is without purpose. An outside threat, usually vague, that pervades these plays.
