ENG 255 D LITERATURE OF THE ABSURD

This course will examine 19th and 20th century prose, drama, and essays that are representative of Absurdist and Existential thought. Through our study we will understand that despite the erroneous labels of Absurdism as “minimalist nonsense,” or Existentialism as a “bleak and nihilistic world view,” these movements are an imaginative and life-affirming comment on the nature of Humanity. Overall, we will consider and analyze the comments these texts make on suffering, dread, despair, guilt, and responsibility. This course fulfills the Core Curriculum requirement for Expression and counts as a literature course