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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sisyphus_by_von_stuck_3.jpg]]
2 [[caption-width-right:350:''Sisyphus'' by Franz Stuck]]
3
4->'''Vladimir:''' Do you want a carrot?\
5'''Estragon:''' Is that all there is?\
6'''Vladimir:''' I might have some turnips.\
7'''Estragon:''' Give me a carrot. ''[Vladimir rummages in his pockets, takes out a turnip and gives it to Estragon, who takes a bite out of it]'' It's a turnip!\
8'''Vladimir:''' Oh pardon! I could have sworn it was a carrot.
9-->-- ''Theatre/WaitingForGodot''
10
11The absurdist movement is one of the most hilarious and depressing artistic and philosophical movements. After all the death and horror of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, people started realizing that the institutions and beliefs that they put their faith in -- the government, the church, the military, technology, society, etc. -- were not intrinsically right. The only reason they had any power or sway is because people let them have power and sway. In short, people started to believe that the foundations they had built their life upon had no foundations themselves. This led to the modernist movement.
12
13The absurdism stage is considered part of the modernist movement; while it agreed that everything was pointless, it also saw the funny side to things. We go about our lives doing the most banal, bizarre things, even though when you really got down to it there wasn't a reason for them. We do things that are, in fact, Absurd. As a result, expect to hear lots of [[SeinfeldianConversation repetitive dialogue with no real point]] (see page quote).
14
15There is a significant offshoot centered around absurdist [[{{Theatre}} plays]] known as the Theatre of the Absurd, a term coined by critic Martin Esslin. This was probably the closest thing to a true "school" of art that absurdism ever got, even though none of the playwrights would likely agree to the label.
16
17It is important to make the distinction between Absurdism as the movement, the loosely related philosophy and general absurdist humor. Creator/MontyPython is well known for their absurdist sense of humor, but would not be considered Absurdists.
18
19Absurdist philosophy is very closely related to UsefulNotes/{{Existentialism}} (and, by extension, characters that are TheAntiNihilist). Compare and contrast {{Surrealism}}; both movements emerged in the wake of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and are stylistically similar, but whereas absurdism is all about [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic embracing meaninglessness]], surrealism is [[WorldOfSymbolism packed with meaning.]] See also MediaNotes/{{Dada}}, which was an even more nihilist reaction to World War I. Compare ExistentialHorror, which plays this trope for, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin horror]] rather than comedy (though there can easily be overlap).
20----
21[[index]]
22!!Common Tropes:
23
24* AbsurdityAscendant: The modern {{Trope Codifier}}s.
25* AllForNothing: A story's buildup gets its payoff. A later event renders it meaningless.
26* {{Beat}}: If the characters aren't repeating one another's lines, there's a good chance they're not saying any at all. You'd be correct if you guessed that some absurdist plays are light on the plot.
27* BlackComedy
28* CrapsackWorld
29* DeterminedDefeatist: We're all going to die, so we may as well laugh!
30* KafkaKomedy
31* ParrotExposition, often distilled to the point of DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment
32* ShaggyDogStory: A story's buildup has no payoff.
33* ShootTheShaggyDog
34* TalkativeLoon
35* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: Most people (read: everyone who isn't too proud to admit it) will tell you most Absurdist works make no goddamn sense. Then again, that's the point.
36* WorldLimitedToThePlot
37[[/index]]
38
39[[index]]
40!!Creators commonly identified with the absurdist school:
41[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]
42* Edward Albee
43* Creator/SamuelBeckett
44* Friedrich Durrenmatt
45* Creator/EugeneIonesco
46* Jean Genet
47* Charles Ludlam
48* Suzan-Lori Parks
49* Creator/HaroldPinter
50* Creator/SamShepard's plays tend to be borderline examples.[[/index]]
51** More specifically, he began writing well after most of the other playwrights on this list and as a result his plays are more [[PostModernism postmodernist]] than modernist. On the other hand, his works invoke a similar set of tropes and he was clearly influenced by the Theatre of the Absurd. Maybe best to call him [[PostSomethingIsm post-absurd]].[[index]]
52* Creator/TomStoppard
53
54[[AC:Literature, etc.]]
55* Creator/AlbertCamus
56* Joseph Heller
57* Creator/FranzKafka
58* Creator/KurtVonnegut
59* Rikki Simons
60* Robert Shearman
61* Creator/JossWhedon
62[[/index]]
63
64[[index]]
65!!Works:
66* ''Theatre/TheBaldSoprano'', by Eugene Ionesco
67* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'': Robert Shearman's episodes "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho014TheHolyTerror The Holy Terror]]" and "[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho029TheChimesOfMidnight The Chimes of Midnight]]".
68* ''Film/TheBigLebowski''
69* ''Theatre/TheBirthdayParty''
70* ''VideoGame/{{Blaseball}}''
71* ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' - One of the rare animated examples, encompassing the great obstructive institutions in Hollywoo[[SignsOfDisrepair (d)]], the lies beneath the archetypes and plots in fiction and the suffocating, unbearable pain of everyday life when everything is artificial. In other words, [[BlackComedy an absolute riot]].
72* ''{{Series/Bottom}}'' - a slapstick comedy which evolved out of Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson's live adaptation of ''Waiting for Godot''.
73* ''Theatre/BuriedChild''
74* ''Literature/CatchTwentyTwo''
75* ''Theatre/CompanySondheim'' is one of relatively few musicals to show the influence of Absurdism.
76* ''AudioPlay/DoctorWhoAudioVisuals''
77* ''{{Theatre/Endgame}}''
78* ''Manga/GirlsLastTour''
79* ''Theatre/{{Luv}}'' by Murray Schisgal has been described as absurdist.
80* ''Theatre/TheMaids'', by Jean Genet
81* ''Theatre/{{McQueen}}''
82* ''Literature/TheMetamorphosis''
83* ''Theatre/TheMysteryOfIrmaVep''
84* ''{{Series/Nightingales}}'' - A {{Britcom}} heavily inspired by - and contains several shout-outs to - the movement.
85* ''Film/{{Reality|2014}}''
86* ''Theatre/RosencrantzAndGuildensternAreDead''
87* ''Film/{{Rubber}}''
88* ''{{Series/Seinfeld}}'' - "A show about nothing" not only sums up Absurdism, but is also an excellent modern example.
89* ''Literature/TheStranger''
90* ''Literature/TalesFromTheCrib''
91* ''Theatre/TopdogUnderdog''
92* ''Theatre/WaitingForGodot''
93* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale''
94* ''Theatre/WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf''
95[[/index]]

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