Absurdism Background Flashcards
Verismo (Naturalism)
literary movement that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment are inescapable forces that fate human character
Psychological Realism
the sense that characters in fictional narratives have realistic, complex, emotional, and intellectual depth
Pirandellism
the idea that there are as many truths as there are points of view
constantly questions what is real
Intellectualism
emphasis on abstract intellectual matter and the exploration of philosophical truth
Metatheatre
theater about theater, a play within a play
Experimental Drama
breaks with traditional conventions of the theatre
Theatre of the Absurd
characters express the anxious, repugnant, and comic picture of human relationships in an absurd universe
Elements of Absurdist Theatre
minimal plot, characters, setting empty/repetitive dialogue bare but symbolic settings no dramatic climax unclear relationships between characters unreliable barrators
Notion of the Absurd
the contradiction between human attempts to discover meaning in life and the simultaneous conviction that no meaning exists that we have not already created ourselves
Postmodernism
literary movement under which Theatre of the Absurd falls
Minimalism
based on premise that the less you put on stage, the more significant what is on stage becomes
Black Humor
writing that juxtaposes morbid or ghastly elements with comical ones that underscore the senselessness or futility of life in which individuals are helpless victims of fate and character
Dystopia
an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives
Tragicomedy
absurdist drama, suggests that laughter is the only response left to people faced with an empty and meaningless existence
Kafkaesque
idiom to describe situations like the nightmarish, oppressive ones in Kafka’s fiction; often grotesque, problems with authority figures, etc.
