DOCSLIB.ORG

Post-Cold War Experimental Theatre of China: Staging Globalisation and Its Resistance

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Post-Cold War Experimental Theatre of China: Staging Globalisation and Its Resistance Post-Cold War Experimental Theatre of China: Staging Globalisation and Its Resistance Zheyu Wei A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The School of Creative Arts The University of Dublin, Trinity College 2017 Declaration I declare that this thesis has not been submitted as an exercise for a degree at this or any other university and it is my own work. I agree to deposit this thesis in the University’s open access institutional repository or allow the library to do so on my behalf, subject to Irish Copyright Legislation and Trinity College Library Conditions of use and acknowledgement. ___________________ Zheyu Wei ii Summary This thesis is a study of Chinese experimental theatre from the year 1990 to the year 2014, to examine the involvement of Chinese theatre in the process of globalisation – the increasingly intensified relationship between places that are far away from one another but that are connected by the movement of flows on a global scale and the consciousness of the world as a whole. The central argument of this thesis is that Chinese post-Cold War experimental theatre has been greatly influenced by the trend of globalisation. This dissertation discusses the work of a number of representative figures in the “Little Theatre Movement” in mainland China since the 1980s, e.g. Lin Zhaohua, Meng Jinghui, Zhang Xian, etc., whose theatrical experiments have had a strong impact on the development of contemporary Chinese theatre, and inspired a younger generation of theatre practitioners. Through both close reading of literary and visual texts, and the inspection of secondary texts such as interviews and commentaries, an overview of performances mirroring the age-old Chinese culture’s struggle under the unprecedented modernising and globalising pressure in the post-Cold War period will be provided. Case studies of experimental theatre performances are classified into three thematic dimensions which respectively signify the political, economic and social/cultural tension between China and globalisation. Each of the three approaches warrants its own chapter. Chapter One focuses on political theatre, in which the oppression of ideologies and clash of civilisations are explicitly portrayed. Chapter Two covers plays that concern changes in society resulting from the economic reform since 1990. In Chapter Three, plays concerning conflicts between Chinese and Western cultures are examined to explore how Chineseness is constructed in relation to the imagination of globalisation. In this research, analysis will touch upon two levels of the interaction between Chinese theatre and the process of globalisation. The first level is a close examination of the “economic base” of Chinese experimental theatre, which since 1990 has undergone a major transformation from being government-supported to being market-supported or semi-market-supported. The second level is how the dramatists, aware of their new roles iii in the globalised theatre industry, actively engaged in rising consumerism to present their experiences and imagination on the contemporary Chinese stage. To evaluate and critique experimental theatre within the condition of globalisation, Gerard Delanty’s idea of critical cosmopolitanism concerned with “the identification of moments of self- transformation in contexts in which there is an expansion in reflexive capacities and ultimately in those situations in which something undergoes normative transformation from the encounter with the Other” will be a tool of assessment in this thesis. The self- reflexivity embedded in cosmopolitanism can build a neutral ground for ethical judgements. The analysis of Chinese experimental theatre yields a better understanding as to the development of Chinese theatre in the last twenty-five years or so. More importantly, the analysis illustrates theatre’s opportunities to bring about dialogues, reforms, and reconciliations, and to pursue the ethics of openness and equity in globalisation – the ethics of cosmopolitanism. iv Acknowledgements Foremost, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Brian Singleton, for his continuous encouragement and generous help. His devotion to theatre, patience in guiding me and his immense knowledge always inspire me. This thesis would not have been possible without his insightful advice and kind support over the course of the study. I would also like to thank my examiners Dr Rossella Ferrari and Professor Eric Weitz, for generously offering me comments and suggestions about my thesis. I am greatly indebted to the many distinguished teachers in the Department of Drama, including Eric Weitz, Nicholas Johnson, Gabriella Calchi-Novati, Melissa Sihra, Christine Poulter and Matthew Causey, who enlightened me both in lectures and in private. My thanks also go to my MA supervisor Professor He Chengzhou, who has been offering advice and encouragement since I first began my journey in theatre research. I would like to thank Meng Jinghui Studio, Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre, the Grass Stage, Zhang Xian, Mou Changfei, Penghao Theatre, TheatreRe, RMY Theatre Company, Power Station of Art, the New Youth Group and Theatre Santuoqi for generously providing primary and secondary materials for my research. I appreciate the kindness of Zhao Chuan and Nick Rongjun Yu, who received me and participated in the interviews with me. I am thankful to Professor Deng Hanbin, who introduced me to a number of theatre-makers and producers in Beijing and Shanghai and helped arranged my meetings with them. A number of people have been helpful to my study in various ways. I owe a great deal to Katia Arfara, Katherine Campbell, Chen Hui, Chen Xiaomei, Deng Hanbin, Feng Wei, Huang Yizhou, Sinead Larkin, Li Siwei, Li Zhixing, Aneta Mancewicz, José Ramón Prado Pérez, Ralf Remshardt, Katherine Sedovic, and Yue Mengzhen, for offering me comments, suggestions and inspiration. For the four years of my stay in Ireland, I feel blessed to have the company of my dear friends – whether they are here in Dublin or elsewhere, but still stay in touch – who understand my enthusiasm for theatre and do not v mind me sharing the happy and sad moments in my life with them: An Bo, Feng Wei, Guo Qian, Hong Xinyi, Li Siwei, Li Zhixing, Peng Lijing, Yang Chunhua, Yang Heran, Zeng Burong, Zhang Qin and Zhang Ruone. I would also like to extend my thanks to my colleagues Mary O’Byrne, James Little and my fellow members of Beckett Reading Group, who shared with me their insights into theatre and made my interaction with Irish culture so much more fun and meaningful. Special thanks go to Nicholas Johnson, Cláudia Tatinge Nascimento, Sarah-Jane Scaife and Neil Curran as well as the Smashing Times Theatre Company, Pan Pan Theatre Company, El Conde de Torrefiel Theatre Company and the “Love! Improv” community, for welcoming me into their workshops and shows, so that I was able to experience for myself how (intercultural) theatre and globalisation interact with one another in practice. Additionally, I gratefully acknowledge the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and Trinity College Dublin for providing me with a scholarship since 2013. I am also greatly thankful to Trinity Long Room Hub and all of the TLRH staffs for offering me a wonderful working environment for the past four years. I could not have finished my research such the material support. Last but not least, I dedicate this thesis to my parents, Wei Zhiyuan and Huang Jinling, who have been selfless and understanding, and have believed in me throughout the years. vi Notes on Translation and Names Unless otherwise noted, all translations to English are mine. Non-English terminologies and titles are translated into English in square brackets. Chinese names follow their native convention, with family name first, followed by given name. The only exception is when a person has customarily chosen to put his or her given name before his or her family name, such as Leo Ou-fan Lee and Daphne P. Lei. The pinyin system is adopted for the names of people from modern mainland China as well as historical Chinese figures, while the names of people from Taiwan follow their own Romanisation system largely defined by Wade-Giles. vii Table of Contents Summary ...................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ v Notes on Translation and Names ................................................................................. vii Table of Contents ....................................................................................................... viii List of Figures ................................................................................................................ x Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 The end of History? Or the start of a new era? ....................................................................... 7 Conceptualising globalisation .............................................................................................. 13 Interculturalism: theatre and performance in the age of globalisation ................................. 22 Understanding China and Chinese theatre today: responding to and renewing globalisation .............................................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • An Ethnography of the Spring Festival
    IMAGINING CHINA IN THE ERA OF GLOBAL CONSUMERISM AND LOCAL CONSCIOUSNESS: MEDIA, MOBILITY, AND THE SPRING FESTIVAL A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Communication of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Li Ren June 2003 This dissertation entitled IMAGINING CHINA IN THE ERA OF GLOBAL CONSUMERISM AND LOCAL CONSCIOUSNESS: MEDIA, MOBILITY AND THE SPRING FESTIVAL BY LI REN has been approved by the School of Interpersonal Communication and the College of Communication by Arvind Singhal Professor of Interpersonal Communication Timothy A. Simpson Professor of Interpersonal Communication Kathy Krendl Dean, College of Communication REN, LI. Ph.D. June 2003. Interpersonal Communication Imagining China in the Era of Global Consumerism and Local Consciousness: Media, Mobility, and the Spring Festival. (260 pp.) Co-directors of Dissertation: Arvind Singhal and Timothy A. Simpson Using the Spring Festival (the Chinese New Year) as a springboard for fieldwork and discussion, this dissertation explores the rise of electronic media and mobility in contemporary China and their effect on modern Chinese subjectivity, especially, the collective imagination of Chinese people. Informed by cultural studies and ethnographic methods, this research project consisted of 14 in-depth interviews with residents in Chengdu, China, ethnographic participatory observation of local festival activities, and analysis of media events, artifacts, documents, and online communication. The dissertation argues that “cultural China,” an officially-endorsed concept that has transformed a national entity into a borderless cultural entity, is the most conspicuous and powerful public imagery produced and circulated during the 2001 Spring Festival. As a work of collective imagination, cultural China creates a complex and contested space in which the Chinese Party-state, the global consumer culture, and individuals and local communities seek to gain their own ground with various strategies and tactics.
    [Show full text]
  • Theatre Review
    V2-TheatreRev_OPUS_7_1.qxp copy.qxp 03/04/2019 16:02 Page 136 THEATRE REVIEW Chimerica by Lucy Kirkwood, first performed at the Almeda Theatre, London, 20 May, 2013; transferred to Harold Pinter Theatre, London, 6 August, 2013. Revived at Studio Theater, Washington DC, September/October, 2015 Reviewed by David Scharff* “In ancient Greek myth, a ‘chimera’ was a fire-breathing monster with a lion’s head and a serpent’s tail. In Lucy Kirkwood’s drama, (2013) Chimerica is something bigger and scarier than that. The word was origi- nally coined by historian Niall Ferguson to describe the globally dominant, co-dependent relationship between trigger-happy spendthrift America and control-freak, money-grabbing China” (McGinn, 2013). Chimerica opens with the iconic photograph of Tiananmen Square, 4 June, 1989. We see the “Tank Man” who blocked the advance of a tank towards the protesters, his back to us. A shopping bag in each hand, he faces the tank, which then refuses to run him down. The playwright’s script instructions read, “It is a photograph of one country by another country.” Cultural and political encounter is the theme of the play, played out in the fictional and intensely personal portrait of two denizens of cultures that are in conflict and contrast in so many ways. Joe Schofield, who took the photo as a neophyte news photographer at the age of nineteen, now seeks to find the legendary, if now all but forgotten, “Tank Man” twenty-three years later, just as, in America, Obama seeks re-election against Mitt Romney. In the play, Joe tries to sell his editor a story about investigating whether the tank man is still alive, presumably living now in the US.
    [Show full text]
  • Signposts of Self-Realization Ideas, History, and Modern China
    Signposts of Self-Realization Ideas, History, and Modern China Edited by Ban Wang, Stanford University Wang Hui, Tsinghua University VOLUME 8 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/ihmc Signposts of Self-Realization Evolution, Ethics and Sociality in Modern Chinese Literature and Film By Xinmin Liu LEIDEN | BOSTON Brill has made all reasonable efforts to trace all rights holders to any copyrighted material used in this work. In cases where these efforts have not been successful the publisher welcomes communications from copyright holders, so that the appropriate acknowledgements can be made in future editions, and to settle other permission matters. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Xinmin, Liu. Signposts of Self-Realization : Evolution, Ethics and Sociality in Modern Chinese Literature and Film / by Xinmin Liu. pages cm. — (Ideas, History, and Modern China ; 8) Includes index. ISBN 978-90-04-19609-4 (hardback : acid-free paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-26535-6 (e-book) 1. Chinese literature—20th century—History and criticism. 2. Chinese literature—21st century—History and criticism. 3. Self (Philosophy) in literature. 4. Self-realization in literature. 5. Self-perception in motion pictures. 6. Ethics in motion pictures. 7. Ethics in literature. I. Title. PL2303.X5594 2014 895.109’353—dc23 2013046907 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual ‘Brill’ typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, ipa, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see brill.com/brill-typeface. issn 1875-9394 isbn 978 90 04 19609 4 (hardback) isbn 978 90 04 26535 6 (e-book) Copyright 2014 by Koninklijke Brill nv, Leiden, The Netherlands.
    [Show full text]
  • Burro Burro Phd
    UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI TRIESTE Sede Amministrativa del Dottorato di Ricerca IUAV – ISTITUTO UNIVERSITARIO DI ARCHITETTURA DI VENEZIA, UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI FERRARA, UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI UDINE, UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI SALERNO, UNIVERSITA’ DEL PIEMONTE ORIENTALE “AMEDEO AVOGADRO” NOVARA, UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DEL SANNIO – BENEVENTO, UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI MESSINA, UNIVERSITA’ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI “FEDERICO II”, UNIVERSITA’ PRIMORSKA DI KOPER, UNIVERSITA’ DI KLANGEFURT, UNIVERSITA’ DI MALTA Sedi Convenzionate SCUOLA DI DOTTORATO DI RICERCA IN SCIENZE DELL’UOMO, DEL TERRITORIO E DELLA SOCIETA’ INDIRIZZO IN GEOPOLITICA, GEOSTRATEGIA E GEOECONOMIA - XXIII CICLO (SETTORE SCIENTIFICO-DISCIPLINARE M-GGR/02) LA REPUBBLICA POPOLARE CINESE TRA NECESSITA’ ED AMBIZIONE DI UN’ADEGUATA STRATEGIA GEO-CULTURALE DOTTORANDO RELATORE Dott. ANDREA BURRO Chiar.ma Prof.ssa MARIA PAOLA PAGNINI Università degli Studi “Niccolò Cusano” - Telematica ANNO ACCADEMICO 2009-2010 Verschlossnen Augs, ihr Wunder nicht zu schauen, durchzog ich blind Italiens holde Auen. R. Wager, Tannhäuser. 2 INDICE INTRODUZIONE 5 LA CINA LABORATORIO DI NARRAZIONI GEOGRAFICHE IN BILICO FRA TRADIZIONE ED INNOVAZIONE 1.1 Falso immobilismo e miti fondatori 11 1.2 Evoluzione dell’impero cinese: centralizzazione e frammentazione 14 1.2.1 Dalle origini all’epoca dei Tre Regni 14 1.2.2 Dalla dinastia Tang alla dinastia Song 20 1.2.3 Dalla dinastia Yuan alla dinastia Qing 24 1.3 L’incontro con l’Occidente: crisi e tentativi di modernizzazione 36 1.3.1 Il pendolo della storia:
    [Show full text]
  • A Seville Pictures / New Yorker Films Release Sunflower
    A Seville Pictures / New Yorker Films release Sunflower CREDITS Director ZHANG YANG Screenplay ZHANG YANG CAI SHANGJUN HUO XIN Producer PETER LOEHR Producer HAN SANPING Co-producers MICHAEL J. WERNER WOUTER BARENDRECHT Executive Producer YANG BUTING Co-executive Producer JIANG TAO Production Supervisor SHI DONGMING Production Management ZHAO HAICHENG Line Producer ER YONG Production Manager ZHANG JIAKUN Director of Photography JONG LIN Editor YANG HONGYU Production Design AN BIN HUANG XINMING Music LIN HAI Music Production LIN HAI, EMOTION MUSIC STUDIO Music performed by ASIA PHILHARMONIC GROUP (STRINGS) HUANG LIJIE (LEAD VIOLIN) LIN HAI (SOLO PIANO) Music Recording & Mixing LOU WEI Sound Design WU LALA Sound Editors MAO SHUO ZHAO YING WANG GANG Foley Mixer CHENG XIAOLONG First Assistant Director LI HAIBIN For Fourth Production Company of China Film Group Corp and Ming Productions A Fortissimo Films presentation 2 CAST Zhang Gengnian (Father) SUN HAIYING Zhang Xiuqing (Mother) JOAN CHEN Lao Liu LIU ZIFENG Xiangyang (9 yrs old) ZHANG FAN Xiangyang (19 yrs old) GAO GE Xiangyang (32 yrs old) WANG HAIDI Chicken Droppings (9 yrs old) HONG YIHAO Chicken Droppings (19 yrs old) LI BIN Han Jing (Xiangyang’s wife) LIANG JING Yu Hong ZHANG YUE Horn Li LI YEPING www.NewYorkerFilms.com Press photos are available for download through http://www.newyorkerfilms.com/nyf/t_elements/sunflower/sunflower1_t.htm China, 2005 129 min., Color In Mandarin and English with English subtitles 1.85, Dolby SR 3 SYNOPSIS Sunflower spans the course of three decades - focusing on the years 1976, 1987 and 1999 - in the lives of Zhang Gengnian and his son, Xiangyang.
    [Show full text]
  • Cc6fe371d11541538bd242467c
    On February 24, 2018, Henan: Home of Chinese Culture—2018 Hong Kong Happy Spring New Year Temple Fair was grandly opened in Kowloon Park in Hong Kong. On February 18, 2018, Home of Panda: Beautiful Sichuan—The Eighth Cross-Straits Spring Festival Folk Temple Fair was grandly opened at the Nantou County Convention and Exhibition Center in Taiwan. On February 2, 2018, Universal Celebrations—the People of China and the Philippines jointly welcome the New Year was held at the Commercial Center in Clarke, the Philippines. On February 22, 2018, the celebration of 2018 EU-China Tourism Year—Chinese Lanterns Light up the heart of Europe was successfully held in the Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium. Contents Express News FOCUS 04 President Li Xiaolin meets with Cambodian group /Wang Bo 04 Vice-President Xie Yuan meets granddaughter of General Chennault /Jin Hanghang 05 Vice-President Hu Sishe attends premiere of documentary film, TCM promotion tour /Yu Xiaodong 05 20th anniversary of China-South Africa diplomatic ties /Zhang Yujun 06 China-Japan friendship concert held in Beijing /Liu Mengyan 04 06 President Li Xiaolin and Secretary-General Li Xikui attend signing ceremony /Jia Ji 07 International sister city exchanges exhibition /Chengdu Friendship Association 07 The Belt and Road: 2018 Walk into Nepal photography competition / Chengdu Friendship Association 21 View 08 Kimiyo Matsuzaki, witness of ping-pong diplomacy between China and Japan /He Yan 12 The legendary life of He Lianxiang, goodwill messenger of Peru-China 36 friendship /Tang Mingxin
    [Show full text]
  • Jan Lendl Uy Sir Jay Flores Introduction to Philosophy of The
    Uy 1 Jan Lendl Uy Sir Jay Flores Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person 1 April 2018 Comparative Philosophical Analysis on Man’s Existential Purpose: Camus vs. Marcel The purpose of man’s existence has been a topic of study and debate ever since the dawn of philosophy during the time of ancient Greece. This topic is quite broad and complex as the purpose of man differs in perspective. Throughout the course of many eras, philosophers continuously sought for the true essence of human existence. As of today, there is still no definite answer to this as we, humans, remain divided by our own beliefs. This divide roots back from the varying views of philosophers who expressed their own interpretation of man’s existence, backed up by thorough research and lifelong studies. Among many views, there are two particular philosophical perspectives which are prominent for their contrasting qualities: existentialism and absurdism. Existentialism proposes that the individual has free will, which means he has the capacity to create his own purpose in life. According to Jones College, the existentialist view illustrates that humans are thinking beings who are capable of living in independence. We shape our own lives. The individual is free to choose what to believe in and is solely responsible for every decision and action made. Existentialism puts forward the idea that man is an independent being who has the freedom to make its own interpretation of the purpose of existence. Uy 2 Leonora Cohen, in explains that, in the existentialist view, the world does not have an inherent meaning (2).
    [Show full text]
  • Top 100 Languages by Total Number of Native Speakers in 2007 Rank
    This is a service by the Basel Institute of Commons and Economics. Browse more rankings on: http://commons.ch/world-rankings/ Top 100 languages by total number of native speakers in 2007 Number of Country with most Share of world rank country speakers in native speakers population millions 1. Mandarin Chinese 935 10.14% China 2. Spanish 415 5.85% Mexico 3. English 395 5.52% USA 4. Hindi 310 4.46% India 5. Arabic 295 3.24% Egypt 6. Portuguese 215 3.08% Brasilien 7. Bengali 205 3.05% Bangladesh 8. Russian 160 2.42% Russia 9. Japanese 125 1.92% Japan 10. Punjabi 95 1.44% Pakistan 11. German 92 1.39% Germany 12. Javanese 82 1.25% Indonesia 13. Wu Chinese 80 1.20% China 14. Malay 77 1.16% Indonesia 15. Telugu 76 1.15% India 16. Vietnamese 76 1.14% Vietnam 17. Korean 76 1.14% South Korea 18. French 75 1.12% France 19. Marathi 73 1.10% India 20. Tamil 70 1.06% India 21. Urdu 66 0.99% Pakistan 22. Turkish 63 0.95% Turkey 23. Italian 59 0.90% Italy 24. Cantonese 59 0.89% China 25. Thai 56 0.85% Thailand 26. Gujarati 49 0.74% India 27. Jin Chinese 48 0.72% China 28. Min Nan Chinese 47 0.71% Taiwan 29. Persian 45 0.68% Iran You want to score on countries by yourself? You can score eight indicators in 41 languages on https://trustyourplace.com/ This is a service by the Basel Institute of Commons and Economics.
    [Show full text]
  • Dissertation JIAN 2016 Final
    The Impact of Global English in Xinjiang, China: Linguistic Capital and Identity Negotiation among the Ethnic Minority and Han Chinese Students Ge Jian A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2016 Reading Committee: Laada Bilaniuk, Chair Ann Anagnost, Chair Stevan Harrell Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Anthropology © Copyright 2016 Ge Jian University of Washington Abstract The Impact of Global English in Xinjiang, China: Linguistic Capital and Identity Negotiation among the Ethnic Minority and Han Chinese Students Ge Jian Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Professor Laada Bilaniuk Professor Ann Anagnost Department of Anthropology My dissertation is an ethnographic study of the language politics and practices of college- age English language learners in Xinjiang at the historical juncture of China’s capitalist development. In Xinjiang the international lingua franca English, the national official language Mandarin Chinese, and major Turkic languages such as Uyghur and Kazakh interact and compete for linguistic prestige in different social scenarios. The power relations between the Turkic languages, including the Uyghur language, and Mandarin Chinese is one in which minority languages are surrounded by a dominant state language supported through various institutions such as school and mass media. The much greater symbolic capital that the “legitimate language” Mandarin Chinese carries enables its native speakers to have easier access than the native Turkic speakers to jobs in the labor market. Therefore, many Uyghur parents face the dilemma of choosing between maintaining their cultural and linguistic identity and making their children more socioeconomically mobile. The entry of the global language English and the recent capitalist development in China has led to English education becoming market-oriented and commodified, which has further complicated the linguistic picture in Xinjiang.
    [Show full text]
  • Rereading Joseph Heller?S Catch-22 from the Viewpoint of Existential
    Uluslararası Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi The Journal of International Social Research Cilt: 10 Sayı: 49 Volume: 10 Issue: 49 Nisan 2017 April 2017 www.sosyalarastirmalar.com Issn: 1307-9581 REREADING JOSEPH HELLER’S CATCH-22 FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF EXISTENTIAL PHILOSOPHY AND CAMUS’ ABSURDISM Mehmet Recep TAŞ * Abstract Published in 1961, Joseph Heller's Catch-22 came into prominence among important American novels of the twentieth century. It coined a new expression that connotes the illogical, inconsistent and irrational situations. It deals with the absurdities and unsolvable paradoxical policies of the state’s policymaking groups that drive the individuals into a meaningless, absurdist worldview. It is likely as well to assert that Catch-22 is a novel, which reflects and promote an existential worldview. However, this worldview is closer to Sartre’s standpoint than that of Camus’. Considering the novel, the existential philosophy of Sartre (which suggests that we're able to basically invent meanings of our own) and Camus’ absurdism (which suggests that the search for meaning is in itself both absurd and determined to fail, so; we should embrace the absurd and find happiness in it), this article aims to underline the importance of adopting the existential philosophy of Sartre for the individuals to cope with the sense of nihilism when confronted with the absurdities of today’s world policy making groups. Keywords: Catch-22, Absurdism, Camus, Existentialism, Sartre. INTRODUCTION In order to understand and evaluate a novel written decades before the time in which we live, contrary to New Critics who focus merely on the form dismissing the historical back ground of the work and the experiences by which the author has created the work, it is essential to have a look on social, political issues and the zeitgeist of the period.
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional-Executive Commission on China
    CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA ANNUAL REPORT 2008 ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION OCTOBER 31, 2008 Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.cecc.gov VerDate Aug 31 2005 23:54 Nov 06, 2008 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6011 Sfmt 5011 U:\DOCS\45233.TXT DEIDRE 2008 ANNUAL REPORT VerDate Aug 31 2005 23:54 Nov 06, 2008 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6019 Sfmt 6019 U:\DOCS\45233.TXT DEIDRE CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA ANNUAL REPORT 2008 ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION OCTOBER 31, 2008 Printed for the use of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.cecc.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE ★ 44–748 PDF WASHINGTON : 2008 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 23:54 Nov 06, 2008 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 U:\DOCS\45233.TXT DEIDRE CONGRESSIONAL-EXECUTIVE COMMISSION ON CHINA LEGISLATIVE BRANCH COMMISSIONERS House Senate SANDER LEVIN, Michigan, Chairman BYRON DORGAN, North Dakota, Co-Chairman MARCY KAPTUR, Ohio MAX BAUCUS, Montana TOM UDALL, New Mexico CARL LEVIN, Michigan MICHAEL M. HONDA, California DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota SHERROD BROWN, Ohio CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey CHUCK HAGEL, Nebraska EDWARD R. ROYCE, California SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas DONALD A.
    [Show full text]
  • By Samuel Beckett Alumno
    UNIVERSIDAD DE JAÉN Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación Trabajo Fin de Grado DE LAS EDUCACIÓN LAS DE Theatre of the Absurd: “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Beckett Alumno: Santiago Riaza Martínez Tutor: Juan Ráez Padilla Dpto: Filología Inglesa Febrero, 2016 FACULTAD DE HUMANIDADES Y CIENCIAS CIENCIAS Y HUMANIDADES DE FACULTAD E 0. Abstract In this essay, it is going to be analysed the enigmatic and eclectic play Waiting for ​ Godot by Samuel Beckett throughout a philosophical point of view. Some of these philosophies are related to existentialism, absurdism, hegelianism and religion. Besides, it is going to be explained the genre of this play: The Theatre of the Absurd, its historical background and the relationship between this play and contemporary cinema. The main purpose of this essay is giving some food for thought to its readers to face the problematic and mystery that surrounds this play. Keywords Absurdism, Samuel Beckett, Existentialism, Waiting for Godot, Theatre of the Absurd, Albert Camus, Religion, Drama, Cinema, Second War World, Esslin, Language, Postmodernism, Modernism, Ireland, Paris, Berlin, Jean Paul Sartre, Communication, Silence, Minimalism. 1 Contents Pages 0. Abstract and keywords 1 1. Introduction 3 2. Context 3­13 2.1. Biography 3­5 2.2. Literary Works 5­6 2.3. Historical context 6­7 2.4. The Theatre of the Absurd 7­8 2.5. Are the Theatre of the Absurd and the Existentialist Theatre the same genre? 8­9 2.6. The tradition of the Theatre of the Absurd 9­10 2.7. Is Waiting for Godot a modernist or a postmodernist play? 10­13 ​ ​ 3.
    [Show full text]