New Neuroses, Old Love
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Date
2015-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
As early as 2010 there has been a cultural resurgence composed of, at least in part, absurdist themes. At this moment in pop culture one can look at instances of absurdism flourishing within each art form. Without giving extensive examples within each form, it’s worth noting particular examples from each form in order to provide evidence for this claim.
In the fine arts there is Jeff Koons, whose status through his recent exhibition at The Whitney Museum has undoubtedly cemented his relevance in pop culture. In television there is Tim and Eric, whose cult status has grown exponentially since their inception earlier in the past decade. In film one finds an explosion in titles like “Sharknado”, where sharks and tornados have seemingly cooperated in an effort to pose a threat to mankind.
But the contemporary absurdist presence has yet to be thoroughly explored in the context of literature. As far as its prevalence in pop culture is concerned, it lags behind the other art forms. So far as I know, only BJ Novak, a comedy writer, is among the few to have published recent works (2010 – present) that invoke this contemporary notion of absurdism.
This contemporary notion of absurdism, as I see it, is one that is intimately aware of its own inauthenticity and expresses it through satirizing it. I don’t mean to suggest that absurdity hasn’t been addressed within literature, obviously it has—greats like Woody Allen, John Kennedy Toole, T.C. Boyle, David Sedaris, and David Rakoff—have all contributed immensely to the landscape of available works.
This contemporary absurdity can be found outside the art world as well—it’s prevalence in advertising can be seen in recent Old Spice, Dos Equis, and other campaigns.
The goal of the thesis then, is to attempt to contribute to the current landscape of our cultures absurdist reaction to its perceived inauthenticity. To address notions of faux-patriotism, the shallowness of certain social stigma, the uncertain integrity of our nation’s journalism and respect of individual privacy, and estranged attempts at intimacy.
One problem with a culture in the midst of absurdist trends is determining what sorts of communication is understood as sincere rather than sarcastic or playful. The communication of sincerity takes on a different form, fraught with miscommunications and misunderstandings. In what instances of communication can we be sure we are understood? When interests and values are communicated ironically, by what means must the individual take to be understood as being sincere?
Perhaps this sentiment cannot be said to be a legitimate cultural phenomenon, in so far as it may not currently lend itself to a slogan—but there seems evidence to legitimize efforts to articulate it.
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Keywords
fiction, short stories, humor, absurdism, love