Absurdity in English and Russian literature

«Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality».
—LEWIS CARROLL

The literature of the absurd
The literature of the absurd is a leitmotif in literature, a characteristic feature of which is the demonstration of meaninglessness, paradox, absurdity and even comicism of habitual life conventions, rules and laws, through the use of logical meanings, descriptions of the mechanistic nature, aimlessness of human existence, exposing misunderstandings between individuals and society.
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Daniel Harms

The literature of the absurd
Psychology,
Society,
The crisis of spirituality,
Cultural values,
Totalitarianism of the state as such,
An ontology internal and not associated with supra-individual or ideal.
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History of occurrence
The beginning of the 20th century went down in the history of world literature as the period of the emergence of the so-called literature of the absurd, which most often refers to the direction in European literature, represented by such names as A. Camus, J.-P. Sartre, F. Kafka, S. Becket and others.
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History of occurrence
At the present stage of the development of science, the literature of the absurd continues to attract the attention of researchers. At the same time, not only specific poetics, but also the worldview foundations of literary absurdism, which, accordingly, determine the artistic poetics of this phenomenon, are in the field of view of literary critics.
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Absurdity! I do not understand you
To understand this style, a person must immerse himself in psychology. Many of the images and thoughts that the author conveys can be adopted in different ways.
The literature of the absurdity describes the world as devoid of any causal relationship.
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Absurdity! I do not understand you
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However, one of the problems of studying this phenomenon is the question of terminology. Absurdity, paradox, nonsense, nonsense are related, but not identical concepts, and therefore require a more in-depth analysis in order to differentiate.

"All wisdom is good if anyone understands it. Misunderstood wisdom can become dusty."
-DANIEL HARMS

The main representatives of the style of "Absurdity"
Oberiuts (Daniil Harms, Alexander Vvedensky, Nikolai Oleinikov) are considered the founders of absurdism in literature. In their manifesto they declared: “Who are we? And why are we? .. We are poets of a new world view and new art ... "
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Philosophically, the literature of the absurd is closest to existentialism, but its first sources are still observed in the works of Anton Chekhov.

The main representatives of the style of "Absurdity"
The most famous representatives of English literature are absurd Franz Kafka, Samuel Becket and Eugene Ionesco.
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Comparison of the absurd in English and Russian literature:
In Russia and England, the style of absurdity developed in parallel. Each representative of this direction introduced new concepts and ways of expressing language, thoughts, words.
Let us consider in more detail the literature of the absurd in Russia and England and compare the characteristics of each country:
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Comparison of the absurd in English and Russian literature:
So, the main artistic principles of the poetics of the Oberiuts reflected in their manifesto are:
Destruction of objects and actions,
Their randomization,
Alogism of images,
Grotesque worldview,
Paradox and eccentricity.
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Comparison of the absurd in English and Russian literature:
The poet postulates that the only truth that is given to man is aging and despair. The only faith is absurdity. Everything else is shaky and unstable. Even the past turns into the future, and the future into the past. Absurd consciousness affirms the existence of God.
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English literature of the absurd
Speaking about the English literature of the absurd, it is worth noting that the classics of the genre of absurd poetry are considered JI. Carroll and E. Lear, whose works are directly related to fine art.
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English literature of the absurd
The writer Lewis Carroll was a delightful friend of the children for whom he created incomparable stories and poems. One of the most famous works of Lewis Carroll: "Alice in Wonderland."
Books about Alice initially caused a flurry of criticism. "Rave!" - authoritative literary critics spoke about them.
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-You just have little experience, said the Queen.
- At your age, I spent half an hour every day! On other days, I managed to believe in a dozen impossibilities before breakfast!
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Theater of the absurd
The theater of the absurd is a type of modern drama based on the idea of the total alienation of man in the world and society. The first such plays appeared in the early 1950s in France. Later, the direction covered all of Western Europe and the United States. Criticism of that time as soon as it did not call this new round of drama - “antitheater”, “paradox theater”, “absurd theater”.
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Theater of the absurd
Theater actors create productions based on the works of “absurdists” and playwrights, such as Alfred Jarry (“King Ubyu”, “Night Blindness”), Guy Apollinaire (“Tiresia's Nipples”), Samuel Becket (“Waiting for Godot”).
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«Waiting for Godot”

Cunclusion
Absurdity is a new phenomenon for man. A vision of something unreal and magical, a person is not used to seeing strange images. The influence of the literature of the absurd on our development helps determine what we want from life, solve and forget all the problems, and begin enlightenment in a new art form. However, not everyone can perceive this type, since most of the world still lives according to generally accepted principles. And the introduction of the new seems strange and silly to us.
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"Nobody wants to love an ordinary person in us."
-ANTON PAVLOVICH CHEKHOV