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Martin Esslin

Martin Esslin Books

Playwright

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“The Theatre of the Absurd ... can be seen as the reflection of what seems to be the attitude most genuinely representative of our own time.  The hallmark of this attitude is its sense that the certitudes and unshakable basic assumptions of former ages have been swept away, that they have been tested and found wanting, that they have been discredited as cheap and somewhat childish illusions.”

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Author:Martin Esslin
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“The Theatre of the Absurd has renounced arguing about the absurdity of the human condition; it merely presents it in being - that is, in terms of concrete stage images. This is the difference between the approach of the philosopher and that of the poet; the difference, to take an example from another sphere, between the idea of God in the works of Thomas Aquinas or Spinoza and the intuition of God in those of St. John of the Cross or Meister Eckhart - the difference between theory and experience.”

HumansIdeasTermDifferencesConditionsStageExamplePoetTheoryApproachCrossesPhilosopherIntuitionTheatreArguingAbsurdSpheresHuman ConditionConcreteAbsurditySpinozaSt John Of The Cross
Book:The Theatre of the Absurd
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“Today, when death and old age are increasingly concealed behind euphemisms and comforting baby talk, and life is threatened with being smothered in the mass consumption of hypnotic mechanized vulgarity, the need to confront man with the reality of his situation is greater than ever. For the dignity of man lies in his ability to face reality in all its senselessness; to accept it freely, without fear, without illusions - and to laugh at it.”

MenNeedsRealityAgeTodayFacesLife IsLyingAbilityBehindsSituationAcceptingLaughingGreaterBabyMassIllusionDignityOld AgeConsumptionThreatenedComfortingConcealedVulgarityEuphemismLying MenHypnoticSenselessnessBaby TalkMass Consumption
Book:The Theatre of the Absurd
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