Page 49 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

Unit 3: Literary Terms: Comedy of Manners, Absurd Theatre, and Existentialism

Self Assessment Notes

Multiple Choice Questions:
11. The Theatre of the Absurd is a theatrical style originating in
(a) France
(b) Italy
(c) Greeks
(d) Britains.
12. Often Absurdist works utilise theatrical conventions such as
(a) Mime, Gibberish
(b) Mime, Gibberish, Heightened Language, Codified Language and Vignette
(c) Codified Language and Vignette
(d) Gibberish, Heightened Language, .
13. Absurd theatre is a form of drama that emphasizes the absurdity of human existence
by employing
(a) logical arguments
(b) illogical arguments
(c) disjointed, repetitious, and meaningless dialogue
(d) irrational and logical speech.

Fill in the blanks:
14. The Absurd Theatre is a designation for particular plays that expressed the belief
that, in a godless universe, ......... has no meaning.
15. Theatre of the Absurd employs techniques borrowed from earlier ..........
16. Absence, emptiness, nothingness, and ......... are central features in many Absurdist
plots.
17. Absurdist drama reflects this kind of ......... and inability to make a connection.

State whether the following statements are true or false:
18. Martin Esslin coined the term Theatre of the Absurd in his 1960 essay.
19. Absurdist Plays are absurd in that they focus not on illogical acts, urealistic
occurrences, or traditional character development.
20. The characters in Absurdist drama are lost and floating.

3.3 Existentialism

3.3.1 Introduction and Definition

Existentialism is the philosophy that places emphasis on individual existence, freedom, and choice.
It stresses the individuality of existence, and the problems that arise with said existence. Because
there is so much diversity in the philosophy of existentialism, a concrete definition is hard to put

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