1. Since 1970, much cultural activity in art, cinema, and literature contains postmodernist and existentialist elements. Relationship with Existentialism Existentialism was a very popular philosophy in the Paris circles during the sass to the sass and thus inspired the rise of theatre of the absurd. Existentialism is the theory behind the unconscious movement Theatre of the Absurd, which is perhaps more of a genre than a style. Significant practitioners were not traditional theoreticians and directors, but instead were major playwrights. Jean-Paul Sartre‘s 1938 novel Nausea was “steeped in Existential ideas”, and is considered an accessible way of grasping his philosophical stance. Existentialist perspectives are also found in literature to varying degrees. Existentialism is a philosophical theory or approach that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development through acts of the will. Works Cited -Søren existentialism 101 & theatre of the absurd You’re watching a play but you have no idea what’s happening. The Theatre of the Absurd is a classic example of how existentialism works on the stage. But the Theater of the Absurd varied from all these traditions as it is unusual and unconventional in its open declaration of the existential condition of the world. Existentialism 4. There is no plot, the dialogue is gobbledygook, and characters are filled with despair, yet you are told that this is Theatre of the Absurd, one of the milestones in modern drama. Important Names in Existentialism: What is Existentialism? Its central expression is the confrontation of the man with the universe that has lost its meaning, integrity and deprived of … But existentialism also ties into the drama of everyday life. The Theater of the Absurd 3. The purpose of existentialism in general is to address some of the problems of living in an absurd world in which no inherent meaning can be assumed. Drama. Relationship with Existentialism Existentialism was a very popular philosophy in the Paris circles during the 1930s to the 1950s and thus inspired the rise of theatre of the absurd. Existentialism (/ ˌ ɛ ɡ z ɪ ˈ s t ɛ n ʃ əl ɪ z əm / or / ˌ ɛ k s ə ˈ s t ɛ n t ʃ ə ˌ l ɪ z əm /) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on the lived experience of the thinking, feeling, acting individual. Introduction Harold Pinter is one of the most prominent living dramatists of the age. Fleming corroborates this theory by stating in his book, Stoppard’s Theatre: Finding Order Amid Chaos, that Ros and Guil “exist both inside and outside the text… and at times they also acknowledge the presence of a theatre audience” (53).