EXISTENTIALISM

Welcome to the existentialist domain.  On this site you will find helps and various information on the existentialist theory, and the works and authors discussed by our group.  *NOTE* - some information posted is directly from our project notebook, which is formatted as a series of newspaper articles and clippings for a detective investigation.

[What is existentialism?]

>Existentialism was a philosophy that strongly influenced French literature after World War II (1939-1945). Jean-Paul Sartre, the leading existential writer, became famous for such plays as "No Exit" (1944) and "Dirty Hands" (1948) as well as for philosophical writings and criticism. His works explore moral and political topics, especially the problems of freedom and commitment. Simone de Beauvoir helped popularize existentialist ideas in such works as For a Morality of Ambiguity (1947).  Albert Camus was not strictly an existentialist.  However, Camus explored similar ethical and moral problems in several works, including the novels The Stranger (1942) and The Plague (1947) and the long essay The Myth of Sisyphus (1942).

>The philosophy of Existentialism has a diversity of positions and sectors associated with it; one such theme and universal position of most existentialists is alienation and estrangement. "As individuals we neither feel that we are part of them nor can we understand their workings. We live in alienation from our own institutions. As a result, we do not belong to the past, to the present, or to the future." This secret, estranged organization  has almost forced people to begin questioning their own lives and to recognize any anxiety and despair within them.

[Existentialist Authors] >camus, kafka, sartre

 [Existentialist Works] >the plague, the trial, no exit

[Handout] >print out for additional information

Questions?  Contact us:    [email protected]

[Christine Jeng]    [Anna Nguyen]    [Shaine Drake]    [Minh Nguyen]