"The Absurd"...
| Alright, so I know that many of you never theorize about the meaning of our existence, or the logic behind it all. I, on the otherhand, obsess over it, so forgive me if I must subject you to a few minutes of torture. There is a theory of philisophy/literature entitled, "the absurd," in which "absurd" is not negative, not a synonym for "ridiculous," but the true state of existence. Accepting the view that life is absurd is to embrace a "realistic" view of life: the absence of universal logic rather than the popular predeterminist Christian philosophy of "everything happening for a reason." This approach to philosophy is more radical than Nietzsche's "God is dead." One might rephrase absurdism as "God? No thanks… I'm on my own." |
| Camus is given the title of Existentialist due to his constant searching for the significance of his existence. Many mistakenly believe that Camus saw no meaning in life; however, even Camus and Nietzsche seek "meaning" in life, but not in manners familiar to most. As Camus stated, "Nihilism is not only despair and negation, but above all the desire to despair and to negate." (The Rebel, part 2, "The Rejection of Salvation" 1951). For Camus, meaning was in the human experience. Absurdity does not render life meaningless -- people have meaning because they interact with each other, while remaining in control of their own destinies. Now, for you skeptics thinking, "What the heck is she talking about? I'm a Christian and I believe that everything MUST happen for a reason.." I beg you to visit the websites:Deism and Meaning, and you'll see what I mean. |
| So again, Absurdism explores the theory that there is no logic in life, because God (if he exists) takes an observer approach. Absurd literature, or what has been discribed as literary surrealism, ingeniously presents the illogical, chaotic and "absurd" nature of the world through presentation of language. If you would like to read a novel that perfectly exemplifies the theory of the absurd while captivating the reader with an odd, yet sincere, love story that embodies such related themes as tragedy, existentialism, religion and love, I highly recommend Boris Vian's "L'Ecume des jours" (If searching for the English version, look for translations Mood Indigo or Froth on the Daydream). In Vian's own words, it's a history that is "...entirely true as I made it up from the beginning to the very end." ["...entierement vraie, puisque je l'ai imaginée d'un bout a l'autre"]. |
| This tale of amour fou ('mad love') was set in the world where all material is organic, an eel sucks pineapple flavored toothpaste through the cold water tap, and elephants walk on the streets. Vian used a deliberately naïve style with surrealistic images. The protagonist, Colin, is a rich young man, who is surrounded by his intellectual friends, one of whom is obsessed with the philosopher Jean Sol Partre. Colin meets a pretty girl, Chloé. A strange illness is eating her away: "The corridor door would not open. All that was left was a narrow space leading to Chloé's bedroom from the entrance. Isis went first, and Nicholas followed her. He seemed stunned. Something bulged inside his jacket and from time to time he put his hand on his chest. Isis looked at the bed before she went into the room. Chloé was still surrounded by flowers. Her hands, stretched out on the blankets, were hardly able to hold the big white orchid that was in them. It looked grey by the side of her diaphanous skin." A mysterious water-lily grows inside Chloé's chest, Colin gives her more flowers, and she dies. Chloé is buried in a pauper's grave, and the verger and pallbearers dance away |
| Vian answers such questions as, "Why does tragedy afflict good people?," "How does God relate to the human world?," and "What is my reason for being?" He answers, "THERE IS NO LOGIC-the world is chaotic and ABSURD." In my opinion, the theory of the absurd, developed fully in the Collège de la Pataphysique, is an inspired answer to the questions that many of you have asked yourselves (if not obsessed over). |