Existentialism in Literature

[neilgee]

I ploughed through a large [500+ page] biography of Satre only last year. One of the things that decided me to read it was the thought that at least I'd understand what existentialism was by the end of it, but I was thwarted as both Satre and Camus denied the label and refused to have anything to do with any existentialist movement in their lives.

I found all this denial abit confusing, but at least thanks to DanielBenoit's post I now understand how we define a work as existential

[DanielBenoit]

I ploughed through a large [500+ page] biography of Satre only last year. One of the things that decided me to read it was the thought that at least I'd understand what existentialism was by the end of it, but I was thwarted as both Satre and Camus denied the label and refused to have anything to do with any existentialist movement in their lives.

I found all this denial abit confusing, but at least thanks to DanielBenoit's post I now understand how we define a work as existential

Thanks

The fallout between Camus and Satre was pointless and was purely personal. Now of course there are some major and minor differences in their philosophy, but existentialism is not an ideology, it is a collection of thoughts which all have a common theme. Some of them arrive at opposing conclusions, but they are still considered existential. To clear things up for everyone, here are what is considered to be the most important existential philosophers and writers:

Forerunner:
Blaise Pascal

Key Figures:
Soren Kierkegaard
Friedrich Nietzsche
Fydor Dostoyevsky
Franz Kafka
Martin Heidigger
Martin Buber
Lev Shestov
Jean-Paul Satre
Karl Jaspers
Albert Camus
Simone de Beauvoir
Samuel Beckett
Eugene Ionesco

[Lust Hogg]

Personally, Kierkegaard would be the most important out of that list. I say that not because he has historical prcedence over many of the others, but his species of thought laid the foundation for others. If you neglect him, a thorough and comprehensive understanding of "Existentialsm" is not attainable.

[Neha Khan]

It was not only Sartre who wrote fiction based on existentialism, Keirkegaard's 'Fear and Trembling' , 'Sickness unto Death', nietzsche's 'Thus Spoke Zarathusra' are just a few to name. Besides Camus' 'Myth of Sysiphus' is one of the representative works of his idea of 'absurdity' based on existentialism.

[Jozanny]

I think The Plague is one of Camus' stronger novels in its own right, and brings several themes to bear, not just man's *irrational* existence within the universe; I do know there has been some successful critiques against the existentialist mode by contemporary and accomplished writers and thinkers, but I cannot recall what I was reading that pointed this out, and wish I could, because there is still something romantic embodied in Sartre's outcry, which carries with it a certain false pretense, to my mind, but I am not currently equipped to argue these points.

The Plague, however, works, and I intend to reread it soon, and I think Hurt does a very good job as the doctor in the movie version. It is an interesting adaptation, and some may not accredit it too highly, but it brings the implied themes of the novel home with a visual strength.

[?NIETZSCHE'XIST]

Kurt Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle
William Burroughs - Naked Lunch
Tom Robbins - Still Life with Woodpecker

I don't know if one would consider any of them 'Existential' but there are definitely existential themes throughout all of them.

JMW