Existentialism As A School Of Thought And Literary Movement

Existentialism as a school of thought and literary movement burgeoned in the two decades following World War II. Although not typically labeled as existentialist writers, J. G. Ballard and Bernard Malamud created notable works during this time period that directly address themes of non-conformity, dehumanization, and individualism. Whereas â€Å"Billenium† illustrates a society that has reached an irreparable level of corruption, â€Å"The Prison† depicts human evil at a stage where it is still possible to be corrected. J. G. Ballard’s â€Å"Billenium (1961) portrays a dystopian society in which the inhabitants of an increasingly-overpopulated world struggle with problems of space shortages. The majority of the population, exceeding 20 billion people, lives in crowded central cities in order to preserve outside land for a farming system analogous to Stalinist collectivization. Because the governments focus solely on the problems caused by overpopulation, there are neither wars nor food shortages. The protagonists, Ward and Rossiter, live in minuscule cubicles of four square meters, leased by despicable owners - the narrator comments that, â€Å"manipulating the ceiling was a favorite trick of unscrupulous landlords†. A majority of the historical buildings have been demolished for the creation of hundreds more cubicles. In the city streets, the â€Å"shuffling mob of pedestrians† often becomes a gigantic, immovable jam that last for days. Ballard establishes a despairing society whose citizens areShow MoreRelatedExistentialism in Literature and Science846 Words   |  3 PagesExistentialism is the philosophical approach or theory that emphasizes an individual’s existence as a free and responsible being determining his own development through acts of the will (â€Å"Existentialism†). What does that mean exactly? 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The human relations with God, love, society, death etc†¦ are relations that human make to live his life. I study in this paper the human relations in The Outsider novel by Albert Camus from an existentialist view. I want to study Meursault relations who is the main character in Albert Camus’s novel The Outsider , Meursault is being executed because he killsRead MoreExistentialism vs Essentialism23287 Words   |  94 PagesEssentialism vs. Existentialism Essentialism: A belief that things have a set of characteristics that make them what they are, amp; that the task of science and philosophy is their discovery amp; expression; the doctrine that essence is prior to existence While, Existentialism:A philosophical theory or approach, that emphasizes the existence of the individual person as a free amp; responsible agent, determining their own development through acts of the will. 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Deeply advocating for individual rights, he became opposed to French colonization and argued for the empowerment of his people in politics and labor, leading him to later joining the French anarchist movement. Camus introduced and elaborated on elements of absurdism and existentialism in several of his most recognizable writings.  This is displayed through