Existentialism Essay

of existentialism, hated to be identified as an existentialist, for he deemed it a violation of his individualist philosophy to be a part of a literary movement. He even rejected the name because he deemed it to be too confining! Existentialism at its conception rotated around the “life is without purpose” mantra; however, with the introduction of authors such as Albert Camus, Samuel Beckett, and Fyodor Dostoevsky, a new light illuminated the once-static spectrum of traditional existentialism.…

Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter are two powerful dramatist of post modern times. They talk about existential crisis in their dramas. In fact, both Beckett and Pinter are associated with absurd movement. The absurd movement describes the meaninglessness and uncertainty of human life. This movement was influenced by existential philosophy of Sartre, Camus and Heidegger. Martin Asslin’s book The Theatre of Absurd is an authentic discussion on the theme of absurdism as presented by post modern…

The theatre of the absurd is a word coined by the Hungarian critic Martin Esslin to describe the works written during 1950’s and 1960’s.The word ‘absurd’ was first used by French philosopher Albert Camus in his work The Myth Of Sisyphus in which represents the existence of humans as meaningless. Also, Camus believed that since human beings cannot provide a rational explanation for the existence of the universe, hence it can be seen as meaningless, shallow and absurd. Martin Esslin described the…

Two of the greatest French existential writers were the colleagues and lovers Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. The two existentialists had an open relationship for most of their lives. They would often read each other’s writings and were influenced by each other, helping them come to conclusions about different topics. Both writers were atheists, putting more power in man’s hands, than in the hands of higher beings. Jean-Paul Sartre writes about how existence precedes essence or…

Various forms of existentialist themes are found in all kinds of media. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, The stranger, by Albert Camus, and the movie Hunger by Steve McQueen, all share striking similarities as well as drastic separations from the viewpoint of an existentialist. This is primarily with the theme of how all the protagonists turn to death as their final solution, but also how some got alienated, and why. Lastly, some authors break free of the beaten path and try new things with the…

Although nineteenth century German philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche only lived for the first year of the twentieth century, the influence he exerted in it was great. Born in 1844 in Röcken, modern-day Germany, Nietzsche’s work did not achieve much significance during his own lifetime. However, after his death in 1900, his work rose to prominence and left a substantial impact on public thought within the twentieth century. Greatness, therefore for the purpose of this essay will be defined…

reached the outermost parts of the world and have become feminist writing pillars for generations to come. Evidently, Beauvoir has become an inspiration for many women and philosophers in the establishment. Simone writes of her regular beliefs of existentialism, as well as the philosophy of women, exclusively spoken about in, “The Second Sex.” Simone de Beauvoir was born on January 9th, 1908 to a predominately French family (Mussett, Simone de Beauvoir). Simone’s father was a right wing…

Paul Tillich was considered an intellectual German American Christian existentialist theologian, who impacted theology in the 20th century. Given his background, Paul grew under a Lutheran Pastor, Johannes his father. He studied theology and attended seminary and earned two Doctorates at the age of 21. He enlisted in the German army as a Chaplain and was placed on the deadliest post in this war. Here he wrote his father stating, “Hell is all around us. It’s unimaginable” (Taylor 2017). This…

1.3 Jean Paul Sartre Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980) was one of the leading figures in 20th Century philosophy. A French intellectual, writer and activist, he is best known for his pioneering ideas on existentialism. He wrote a number of books, including the highly influential Being and Nothingness, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1964, though he turned it down. Like the work of most other philosophers, Sartre’s contribution to the discipline is difficult to condense, if one must…

Modern Literary & Cultural Criticism states that, drawn upon from The Myth of Sisyphus, includes the idea that “in a world without God, human life and human suffering have no intrinsic meaning.” The philosophy stemmed from and closely resembles existentialism, which sees the predicament of existence as “beginning with a confrontation with a disconcerting sense of meaninglessness” (Abbs 11). Invoked with Camus’s absurdism, Meursault manifests an indifferent personality which repeatedly leads to…