The Theatre of the Absurd: 3rd Edition (Penguin Literary Criticism) [Paperback]

Martin Esslin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Literary Criticism | Publication Date: September 1, 1987

Esslin shows how Samuel Beckett, Ionesco, Genet, Pinter and others have confronted a world in which there is no communication, where man - cut off from his traditional religious and metaphysical roots - flounders about in a purposeless void, shorn of all certainties.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Exciting and stimulating...a very useful reference work and a standard text book.” —Literary Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

In 1953, Samuel Beckett?s Waiting for Godot premiered at a tiny avant-garde theatre in Paris; within five years, it had been translated into more than twenty languages and seen by more than a million spectators. Its startling popularity marked the emergence of a new type of theatre whose proponents?Beckett, Ionesco, Genet, Pinter, and others?shattered dramatic conventions and paid scant attention to psychological realism, while highlighting their characters? inability to understand one another. In 1961, Martin Esslin gave a name to the phenomenon in his groundbreaking study of these playwrights who dramatized the absurdity at the core of the human condition.Over four decades after its initial publication, Esslin?s landmark book has lost none of its freshness. The questions these dramatists raise about the struggle for meaning in a purposeless world are still as incisive and necessary today as they were when Beckett?s tramps first waited beneath a dying tree on a lonely country road for a mysterious benefactor who would never show. Authoritative, engaging, and eminently readable, The Theatre of the Absurd is nothing short of a classic: vital reading for anyone with an interest in the theatre. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); 3 edition (September 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140137289
• ISBN-13: 978-0140137286
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,486,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars None Finer, October 12, 2000

By 

Absurdist Ad Nauseam (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Theatre of the Absurd: 3rd Edition (Penguin Literary Criticism) (Paperback)

If you have ever wished for one book to neatly package absurdist theatre, Mr. Esslin's book is the one. This book is readable, comprehendable, entertaining and engaging. In fact, it's rather difficult to put down. His introduction does wonders to dispel any myths as to what absurdist theatre is and isn't. He follows the introduction by individually highlighting those playwrights often associated with the absurd (Beckett, Adamov, Ionesco, Genet, and Pinter). Of interest is the fact that he does not overwhelm or bore the reader by providing an excess of information. On the contrary, each section is unbelievably tight. His section on Adamov is much appreciated, considering that finding anything on him is near impossible. He then continues with his "Parallels and Proselytes" in which he touches on "lesser-known" playwrights (Albee, Arrabal, and others). He follows this section with three more equally fascinating chapters. In short, Mr. Esslin packs a breadth of relevant information into 480 pages. "The Theatre of the Absurd" should find a welcome home on the bookshelves of actors, directors, dramaturgs, playwrights, or those with an interest in theatre. Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic on the history of theatre and thought, May 2, 2000

By 

J. B. Marques (Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Theatre of the Absurd: 3rd Edition (Penguin Literary Criticism) (Paperback)

I came to read this book for a paper I decided to write on Samuel Beckett, for my Theory of History course. A friend who's an actress recommended it for me, and it was an amazing discovery. From an historian's point of view, this book is a rich, challenging and informative approach to one of the most important aspects of the ideology crisis from the beginning of the XXth. Century. As I came to know later, it's a classic on the theatre field as well.

Apart from Beckett and some minor authors, there are chapters on Adamov, Ionescu, Genet and Pinter, and a superb essay on the meaning of the concept of "absurd" of human existence. A must read for anyone who wishes to understand not only the art, but the ideas which shaped the latest century.

15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must read for the theatre teacher., July 20, 2000

By 

Daniel Stowell (Provo, Utah USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Theatre of the Absurd: 3rd Edition (Penguin Literary Criticism) (Paperback)

Esslin outlines important facts about this complicated and confusing theatrical movement. He helps provide a basic understanding for anyone who would like to know about Beckett, Ionesco, Adamov, Genet, and Pinter. Absurdism is probably the least understood of all modern theatrical movements of the twentieth century, but Esslin makes it accessible. If you study, teach, design,or perform in the theatre you need to read this book, it is the authoritative text on absurdist theatre.