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The Theatre of the Absurd

The Theatre of the Absurd. Samuel Beckett Presented by M Kumaresan Assistant Professor of English Edayathangudy G.S. Pillay Arts & Science Colege Nagapattinam. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND. NEW MEANING OF EXISTENCE. FRENCH EXISTENTIALISM. The Theatre of the Absurd. Historical background.

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The Theatre of the Absurd

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  1. The Theatre of the Absurd Samuel Beckett Presented by M Kumaresan Assistant Professor of English EdayathangudyG.S. Pillay Arts & Science ColegeNagapattinam Only Connect ... New Directions

  2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND NEW MEANING OF EXISTENCE FRENCH EXISTENTIALISM The Theatre of the Absurd

  3. Historical background • The aftermath of World War II increased by the ColdWar. • Theatrocitiesof the Nazi concentration camps. • The Allies’atomic bomb. • Disillusionment coming from the realization that Britain had been reduced to a second-class power. The nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, 1945 The infamous entrance to Auschwitz.

  4. New meaning of existence • Awareness of man’s propensity to evil and conscience of the destructive power of scientific knowledge. • The lack of moral assurance and the decline of religious faith. • The disillusionment with both the liberal and social theories about economic and social progress. • Mistrust in the power of reason. A sense of anguish, helplessness and rootlessness developed especially among the young

  5. Existentialismsaw man trapped in a hostile world. Human life was meaningless and this created a sense of confusion, despair and emptiness. The universe was not rational and defied any explanation. French existentialism Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)

  6. French existentialism • The main exponent of this philosophical current was the French Jean Paul Sartre. • Existentialists presented the absurdity of human condition by means of a lucid languageand logical reasoning. Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)

  7. The Theatre of the Absurd: main features • Absence of a real story or plot. • No action since all actions are insignificant. • Vagueness about time, place and the characters. • The value of language is reduced; in fact, what happens on the stage transcends, and often contradicts, the words spoken by the characters. • Extensive use of pauses, silences, miming and farcical situations which reflect a sense of anguish. • Incoherent babblingmakes up the dialogue.

  8. Thank You Only Connect ... New Directions

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