The-Theatre-of-the-Absurd.荒诞戏剧的介绍ppt1

TheatreoftheAbsurdHuangLihuaPh.D.&associateprofessorMainContentsofThisLecture•1.DefinitionofTheatreoftheAbsurd•2.Historical&PhilosophicalBackground•3.Differencesbetweenanabsurdist•playandthewellmadeplay•4.TheMostImportantPrecursors•5.TheatreoftheAbsurdinChina•6.Summary•1.Whatiscalled“absurd”and“TheatreoftheAbsurd”?•2.Whataredifferencesbetweenanabsurdistplayandthewellmadeplay?•3.Whataremotifs&themesinTheatreoftheAbsurd?•4.HowmanyimportantprecursorsofTheatreoftheAbsurdhaveyouknown?QuestionsforyourconsiderationsⅠ.Definition•Theword“Absurd”wasfirstsuggestedbyAlbertCamus(阿尔伯特·加缪，1913-1960)in1942inTheMythofSisphyus(《西西弗的神话》),inwhichCamustriestodiagnosethehumansituationintheworldofshatteredbelief,ashesaid:“Aworldthatcanbeexplainedbyreasoning,howeverfaulty,isafamiliarworld.Butinauniversethatissuddenlydeprivedofillusionsandoflightpeoplefeelstrangers.Theyareirremediableexilesbecausetheyaredeprivedofmemoriesofalosthomelandasmuchastheylackthehopeofapromisedlandtocome.Thisdivorcebetweenpeopleandtheirlives,theactorandhissetting,trulyconstituesthefeelingofabsurdity.”AccordingtoEugeneIonesco(欧仁·尤奈斯库，1909-1994)，whowasborninRomaniabutlivedinParis,“Absurdisthatwhichisdevoidofpurpose…Cutofffromhisreligious,metaphysical&transcendentalroots,manislost,allhisactionsbecomesenseless,absurd,useless.”•TheTheatreoftheAbsurdisatermappliedtoagroupofdramatistswhowereactiveinthe1950’s.ThenamewasprobablycoinedbyMartinEsslininhisbookTheTheatreoftheAbsurd(1961).•Thephilosophicalbasisoftheabsurdisttheatreisexistentialismthatdeniesthemeaningofhumanexistenceandmaintainsthatthereisnocommunicationatallbetweenpersonandperson.Theworldseemsruthlessandincomprehensible.Humanbeingshavelostconfidencecompletely,whichresultedfromthecapitalistideologyafterWW2.Ⅱ.Historical&PhilosophicalBackground•1.Waningofreligiousfeeling•2.Breakdownoftheliberalfaithinan•inevitablesocialprogressafterWW1•3.Relapseintobarbarism,massmurder•&genocideinthecourseofHitler’s•briefruleoverEuropeduringWW2•4.Disillusionmentwiththehopesofa•radicalsocialrevolutionaspredictedby•MarxafterStalinhadturnedtheSoviet•Unionintoatotalitariantyranny•5.Thespreadofspiritualemptinessinthe•outwardlyprosperous&affluent•societiesofWesternEuropeandtheUSAⅢ.Differencesbetweenanabsurdistplayandthewellmadeplay1.Thecharactersarewellobserved&convincinglymotivated.1.Thecharactersarehardlyrecognizablehumanbeings,theiractionsarecompletelyunmotivated.awellmadeplayanabsurdistplay2.Dialogueiswitty&logicallybuiltup2.Dialogueseemstohavedegenerateintomeaninglessbabbleawellmadeplayanabsurdistplay3.Beginning-middle-endingclearlyrecognizable3.Itstartsatanarbitrarypoint&seemstoendasarbitrarilyawellmadeplayanabsurdistplay4.Itisprimarilyconcernedtotellastoryorelucidateanintellectualproblem…Itcanthusbeseenasanarrativeordiscoursiveformofcommunication4.Itisintendedtoconveyapoeticimageasacomplexpatternofpoeticimages;itisaboveallapoeticformawellmadeplayanabsurdistplay5.Result:FinalMessage6.DYNAMIC5.Itconveysacentralatmosphere6.STATICawellmadeplayanabsurdistplay7.Politics,Religion,Implicitbeliefinthegoodness&perfectibilityofpeople•Unthinkingacceptanceofthemoral&politicalstatusquo7.Thereisnofaithintheexistenceofarationalandwellordereduniverseawellmadeplayanabsurdistplay8.Implicitideathattheworlddoesmakesense,realityissecure,alloutlinesclear,allendsapparent8.Senseofshockattheabsense,thelossofanysuchclear&welldefinedsystemofbeliefs&valuesawellmadeplayanabsurdistplayⅣ.TheMostImportantPrecursorsTheprecursorstotheTheatreoftheAbsurdcanbefoundinanumberoflate19thcenturyandearly20thcenturywriters.Forexample,Uburoi(《愚比王》1896),byFrenchplaywrightAlfredJarry（阿尔弗雷德·雅里）,isconsideredanearlyexample•ofabsurdisttheatreforitsuseofnonsenselanguageandmockingoftheatricalconventions.However,themostprestigiousplaywrightsareasfollows:EugeneIonesco,SmauelBeckett,JeanGenet,HaroldPinter,EdwardAlbee.Inwhatfollows,I’llgiveyouabriefintroductionaboutthem.EugeneIonesco(1909-1994),Romanian-bornFrenchdramatistwhowasthemostimportantdramatistsofthe20thcentury.Hisone-act“antiplay”TheBaldSoprano(《秃头歌女》，1949)，satirizedthedeadlinessoflifefrozeninmeaninglessformalities.•Becauseofthis,thisplayinspiredarevolutionindramatictechniquesandhelpedinauguratetheTheatreoftheAbsurd.So,peopleusuallycallIonescofatheroftheabsurdistplay.•SomeofhisotherimportantplaysincludeTheChairs,Rhinoceros,andHungerandThirst.•Ionesco’sachievementliesinhavingpopularizedawidevarietyofnonrepresentationalandsurrealistictechniquesandinhavingmadethemacceptabletoaudiencesconditionedtoanaturalisticconventioninthetheatre.•Histragicomicfarcesdramatizetheabsurdityofbourgeoislife,themeaninglessnessofsocialconventions,andthefutileandmechanicalnatureofmoderncivilization.Hisplaysbuildonbizarrelyillogicalorfantasticsituationsusingsuchdevicesasthehumorousmultiplicationofobjectsonstageuntiltheyoverwhelmtheactors.•Theclichésandtediousmaximsofpoliteconversationsurfaceinimprobableorinappropriatecontextstoexposethedeadeningfutilityofmosthumancommunication.Ionesco’slaterworksshowlessconcernwithwittyintellectualparadoxandmore