Earticle

The aim of this thesis is to analysis <Something written by Blood> of Son Chang-seop with absurdity of the philosophy suggested by Albert Camus to find out the absurdity concept and correspondence aspects in this work. Even though the word 'absurdity' of his works was appeared among some thesis, but the studies could not find many-sided definition because the studies were done in the narrow view point of 'post war'. Thus the author thinks that the 'absurdity' in the works of Son Chang-seop means not only real lives but also essence of life, and thus tries to seek for the deep concept created as the essence by Son through his pursuit of real nature of life. Albert Camus's absurdity means 'strangeness' naturally and this is made when two objects were compared, not isolated object or event. This strangeness comes from the relations between me and the outside, me and others, and me and myself. He emphasized to have the attitude of consideration in order to understand the meaning of absurdity, and suggested the resistance, liberation, and passion as the attitude of corresponding with absurdity. The author found out the special feature of absurdity suggested by Albert Camus, and the strangeness appearing relations between me and the outside, me and others, and me and myself in this text through the detailed study. Self-consciousness of existence, passion for living as the corresponding with absurdity were expressed. As a result, the images of absurdity on human beings, and the will to correspond with this absurdity were found in this text.

실존주의 철학을 반윤리적 성격의 용어로 보려는 일반적 견해는 그리 복잡하지 않다. 거칠게 말해 실존주의자는 관습적 도덕학의 특권을 부정함으로써 삶에 대한 기본 질서마저 상실케 하는 허무주의자다. 그러면서도 삶에 대한 충일성을 역설하는 까닭에 도덕적 궤변가와 같으며, 제한 없는 삶에 대한 향응이 그들을 쾌락주의자로 볼 수 있게 한다. 물론 이 같은 극단적 편견을 무지의 소치로 차치할 수 없다. 적어도 학문하는 입장에서 그러한 왜곡의 동인이 실존 사상에 이미 있었던 것은 아닐지 살펴야 한다. 그렇다면 삶에 대한 열정을 강조하면서도 윤리적 실천성을 요청할 수 있는 방법은 없을까? 달리 말해 실존주의 철학도 전통적 윤리에 견줄만한 도덕적 지표를 제공할 수 있을까? 이런 까닭에서 본 논문은 실존 개념에 덧씌워진 반윤리적 성격의 허물을 벗겨내고 실존주의 철학 특유의 삶의 윤리를 고찰한다. 특히 1945년 이후 프랑스의 실존주의 담론에서 빠질 수 없을 알베르 카뮈의 『시지프 신화』 속 ‘실존의 양적 증가’에 집중한다. 그는 명령법에 입각한 전통 윤리를 질적 윤리로 제한함으로써 실존성의 증대를 함축하는 양의 윤리를 실천 영역의 절대적 지표로 설정한다. 이 경우 자연스럽게도 전자와 구분될 후자의 윤리학적 근본 성격과 카뮈 사유의 체계적 구조 안에서의 정당성 입증이 요구될 것이다. 당연히 본고에서 이를 소상히 밝힐 것이지만, 그보다 먼저 논의를 위한 몇 가지 부수적 고찰이 필요하다. 삶과 고통의 동일성, 자살의 이중적 의미 해석, 부조리의 원칙과 같은 개념들에 대한 철저한 분석이 그것이다. 이와 같은 예비 작업은 카뮈 저작의 몇몇 모호한 점을 불식시킬 것이며, 논의의 토대를 더 강화할 것이다. 결론적으로 카뮈의 실존주의 철학 속 삶의 양적 증대를 그 특유의 실천 영역으로 해설함으로써 자칫 반윤리적 비관론으로 빠질 수 있었을 그의 실존적 윤리성을 복원한다.

There is a view that considers existential philosophy unethical. In other words, it is a view that existentialists are nihilists who reject even the basic order of life by denying traditional morality. And they are sophists in morality because they insist on sincerity in life, and hedonists because of their entertainment to life without limits. Naturally, opinions like this cannot be simply ignored. We need to look at whether the cause of such distortion was already in existential philosophy. If so, is there any way to request ethical practice while emphasizing the existence of an individual? In other words, can existential philosophy provide moral indicators comparable to traditional ethics? For this reason, this paper corrects the misunderstanding of the concept of existence and studies the ethics unique to existential philosophy. In particular, it focuses on 'the quantitative increase in life' in Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus. First of all, some preliminary considerations are needed for discussion. It is a thorough analysis of concepts such as the identity of life and pain, the double meaning of suicide, and the principle of absurdity. An analysis like this would eliminate some ambiguities in Camus thought, and further strengthen the basis of the discussion. In conclusion, based on the quantitative increase in life in Camus' thoughts, it argues for existential morality away from ethical criticism.

The Absurdity of the Discourse of Patriarchal Family System: Toni Morrison’s Paradise Mi-A Kim (Jeonju University) This paper aims to re-think the absurdity of the discourse of patriarchal family system in Toni Morrison's Paradise. Toni Morrison's Paradise portrays the history of Ruby, the all-black town which tries to keep their blood purity, and the Convent women's lives who are denied by family-oriented society. Morrison's description of Ruby illustrates the negative implications of American exceptionalism, black nationalism, and racial purity, which constituted major American ideologies. Morrison's novel focuses on the unavoidable exclusiveness of American ideologies in Ruby by showing that Ruby rejects those who cannot fit in the rule of the town. Morrison also pinpoints the exceptionalistic discourse of black nationalism through the collapse of Ruby and criticizes the negative aspects of black nationalism which should have avoided the kind of injustice inflicted on by the Whites. In addition, she radically exposes the absurdity of pursing racial purity by highlighting its illusion. In short, Morrison criticizes the family, which is seen to symbolize emotional comfort and safety by the men of Ruby, is in fact a politically suppressive unit for its women. Therefore, if we view that Ruby represents American society and also African American society, Paradise's main there would be that a paradise cannot be achieved unless both exceptionalistic racist discourses and patriarchal family systems disappear. Morrison's critique of patriarchal family is also illustrated in the lives of the Convent women. Whereas the lives of Ruby women expose the absurd idealism of patriarchal family system, the lives of the Convent women illustrates the trauma of the suffering women who have been ostracized from patriarchal family-oriented society. However, Morrison also implies that these women cannot really escape from the family system but adapt themselves to a new patriarchal and oppressive relationship in the Convent. Ultimately, this failure to obtain comfort in the Convent emphasizes that women cannot be healed and empowered unless they refuse patriarchal family relationship and have an alternative community which suggests new relationship.

예이츠의 희곡인 오이디푸스는 시대 정신을 함의하고 있다. 예이츠 당 대의 사회적 이상향과 예술적 지향은 오이디푸스가 직면했던 터부를 극복하기 위해 부조리에 초점을 맞추고 있다. 예이츠와 소포클레스가 살았던 사회는 공통적으로 윤리 적 터부와 사회적 부조리가 대비된다. 두 사회가 지닌 시대적 차이에도 불구하고 예이 츠는 오이디푸스를 통해 윤리적 터부를 극복하고 예술 철학적 부조리에 초점을 두고 있다. 예술적 부조리인 잊힌 영웅들의 이름부르기는 성과 폭력의 터부를 초월한 실존 적 예술철학을 함의하고 있다. 이러한 예이츠의 예술적 영혼과의 만남은 사람들을 현 실의 감각적 터부를 넘어 미래 이상향으로 향하도록 각성하게 하는 영혼의 전향술이 라는 점에서 가치가 있다.

Yeats’s play Sophocles’ Oedipus King implies the spirit of the times. Social idealism and artistic orientation of Yeats’s era focus on absurdity to overcome the taboos faced by Oedipus. The ethical taboos and social absurdities of the society Yeats and Sophocles lived are in contrast. Despite the age differences between the two societies, Yeats is focusing on overcoming ethical taboos and artistic philosophical absurdities through Oedipus. The name-calling of forgotten heroes, an artistic absurdity, implies an existential art philosophy that transcends the foundation of sexuality and violence. Such a meeting with Yeats’s artistic soul is valuable in that it is a spiritual conversion technique that awakens people to head toward future ideals beyond the sensuous taboos of reality.

This paper investigates the absurdity of stratified Southern society through the episodes of slavery in Pudd'nhead Wilson. The analysis of a slave-holding town, Dawson's Landing, raises an important question about the superficial peace and moral consciousness of the South. And Twain attacks town people's absurd attitude by exposing their ridiculous obstinacy to violent duel and aristocratic honor. Also, the accident of switched status dramatizes a falsehood of white ideology. That is, it can be a sharp criticism to the blind faith of white blood. Therefore, the major focus of this novel is about slavery of the South. Through the relationship of Tom and Roxy, Twain reveals the disintegration of family ties and de-humanization. And the revelation of Tom's identity and the treatment of Tom and Chambers drive the criticism of slavery to its peak. Chambers becomes a white victim and his destiny means the dark destiny of Dawson's Landing. At the same time, Wilson's success is also tragic because he helps to maintain the suppressive and distorted condition of slavery. This ending reflects Twain's pessimistic view that can no longer face dismal reality with humor.

The major project of John Barth's The Floating Opera may be rewriting/undoing the pathos of death and rationality in the dilapidated stage of absurdity and exhaustion. The text attempts to review the mortality of human existence and the pretense of logic, highlighting a variety of literary characters who confront the age-old issues in different ways. The text explores the postmodernist notion of writers' self-consciousness by letting the narrator―Todd Andrews―analyse in his own writing collection Inquiry a number of frustrated characters possessed by precarious identities and masks. In the postmodernist text, Todd is eager to undercut some of the transcendental and aesthetic meanings of humanity, steadily collecting his writing notes on living as well as dying, and coming up with his own theories of human existence. Through his self-reflexive journey into the perplexing stage of preposterous life philosophies, Todd arrives after all at a stunningly wise conclusion: there is no final reason, after all, for valuing life or death.

Statistical hypothesis testing is a procedure that verifies a given hypothesis through statistical analysis, using collected data. Hypothesis testing employs the p-value to draw conclusions about the underlying population via sampled data. The p-value, a calculated probability from sampled data, is an important tool in determining whether to reject the null hypothesis. However, most users seem to have difficulties understanding the logic behind it (e.g., [1]). Hence, this paper aims to help users understand and use the p-value adequately by elaborating on its logical meaning.

This thesis discusses linguistic analysis of characters in Sukhovo-Kobylin’s last play, “The Death of Tarelkin”. The author required in his memo that the actors to have a firm perception of “word” when reading the play. In this paper, we will analyze the significant nature of theatrical lines, and identify the nature of the problems such words contain. Words show that the characteristics are defined according to the speaker’s status in the play. We define this as ‘Linguistic Reality’ in this paper. Linguistic reality, instead of words not containing within context like the cultural relationship, literally intrudes and replaces the reality. This very power originates from the ‘language’ of his authority. As such, the counterparty changes as the authority demands, and are recognized by the others. Along with the ‘linguistic reality’ which suppresses and overwhelms the given world, the author discloses the relationship between characters through ‘idioms’ and ‘puns’ as a tool for satire and ridicule of society. This is nothing but the hierarchical reality between characters the author depicts. As such, this embodiment of idiomatic representation pursues satirical goals, and puns create absurdity in totalitarian societies. Sukhovo-Kobylin’s reveal of the reality of Russia in the 19th century is a mirror that predicts the image of Soviet society in the 20th century.

Jeong, Youn-Gil. “From Absurdity to the Voice of the Nonhuman Subject: Observations on Ecological Perspectives in Samuel Beckett’s Plays.” Modern Studies in English Language & Literature 68.1 (2024): 323-42. The ecological aspects have been presented in various forms of literature over the centuries. This paper examines Samuel Beckett's famous plays through the lens of ecocritical theory. World War II had a profound effect on Beckett as a writer, and this paper attempts to shift the reader's focus from absurdity and existentialism to ecological thinking. As a pioneer of ecocriticism, his plays are ironically appropriate for this time of climate change anxiety. Beckett's depiction of internal and external waste can thus be analyzed ecologically and critically as documenting the dangers that modernity poses to humanity's fragile and malleable relationship with nature, and Beckett's work is ultimately linked to the philosophical framework of first-generation ecocriticism, which is seen as the source of the modern ecological crisis. It does so by fictionalizing and dramatizing the dire consequences for nature that threaten to radically alter the way humans live on the planet, and Endgame presents a life of external and internal waste in the aftermath of modernity. Reading Beckett in this way can thus open up a more radical conversation with those who are not initially persuaded by ecocriticism's focus on nature. (Dongguk University)

The purpose of this writing is to show the reality consciousness and critical consciousness as presented in the novels of Jang Yong-Hak, which infused the violence, falsehood, alienation and tragic absurdity of life after the Korean War. Jang Yong-Hak was a writer who had to suffer through the boiling historical turmoil of the Japanese occupation of Korea, Korea’s subsequent liberation from Japan, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The whole historical upheaval destroyed all mental nourishment and hometowns where Koreans had grown up. And, these upheavals continued unreasonable situations that were part of these new surroundings. Jang Yong-Hak caught the inherent contradictions, illogic, and ever-present violence present in everyday life and the shaky experiences which brought about identity crises. He, in the novel <St. John’s Poetry>, searched the tragic, proble matic ideology and looked for that nothingness. The result of this criticism was the method of suicide. The pain in the self, which had been put into this human life, saw the original course of human existence. In <ModernSafari>, he exposed, and judged through skillful situational settings, a movement towards the important factors controlling men. Jang Yong-Hak criticized, through the main character Hyeon-Woo in <ModernSafari>, this ironic and tragic life, and he criticized the violence and falsehood of the world. <Birth of an Inhuman Falsehood> talked of the irrational, yet real world through consciousness problems. And, it showed the human experience of alienation through modern mechanicisms. It also presented this current human consciousness of existence of suffering in such mechanicisms through the character Ji-ho. Jang Yong-Hak reflected about the main agent of life through the Korean War. But, in the end, was an emptiness,and there was a rebirth as a person recovering subjectivity. In <Prologue of a Dynastic Revolution>, Jang Yong-Hak showed a consciousness of criticism of realistic recognition. The book insisted about revolution in our mechanical consciousness, and how it poisons modern people.

The world and the human being are under absurd conditions. This article aims to confront such a reality with poetry and to solve the absurd conditions drawing on the theories of the existentialists. That is, this article attempts to show how the quoted poets overcome the absurdity of the world and the human being, by using the ideas of Sartre, Camus, G. Marcel, and K. Jaspers. And at the end I also cite poems of social concerns. The poems cited in this article seem to cure the people’s loss of faith in agony and to show the result of sublimation through poems, which relates to Aristotle’s catharsis to a large extent.

This paper investigates the absurdity of stratified Southern society through the episodes of slavery in Pudd'nhead Wilson. The analysis of a slave-holding town, Dawson's Landing, raises an important question about the superficial peace and moral consciousness of the South. And Twain attacks town people's absurd attitude by exposing their ridiculous obstinacy to violent duel and aristocratic honor. Also, the accident of switched status dramatizes a falsehood of white ideology. That is, it can be a sharp criticism to the blind faith of white blood. Therefore, the major focus of this novel is about slavery of the South. Through the relationship of Tom and Roxy, Twain reveals the disintegration of family ties and de-humanization. And the revelation of Tom's identity and the treatment of Tom and Chambers drive the criticism of slavery to its peak. Chambers becomes a white victim and his destiny means the dark destiny of Dawson's Landing. At the same time, Wilson's success is also tragic because he helps to maintain the suppressive and distorted condition of slavery. This ending reflects Twain's pessimistic view that can no longer face dismal reality with humor.

Throughout the so-called "Rabbit" tetralogy, John Updike presents American reality during the second half of the twentieth century through the protagonist's existential journey of life. It is generally agreed that Rabbit at Rest is the most straightforward presentation of the absurdity of human existence and death among the tetralogy. Rabbit at Rest focuses on the protagonist's acceptance of death and absurdity. The protagonist of the novel, Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, has lived to his own order and purpose based on his inner imperatives instead of the traditional and ordinary values. With an acute awareness of mortality, Harry accepts his own death. Death is the ultimate absurdity of life in a universe in which one is free to make his own decisions and has to create his own values. Nobody is willing to choose his own death in a Godless universe. What he finds in Rabbit at Rest is the importance of selfhood and the historicity of his own life. For the existentialist, the present is the most important concept of time; human existence is meaningful only for the present moment. But the present for the existentialist comprises the past and the future; future, past, and present constitute the present moment in his inwardness. Harry finds the significance of his existence in respect to his own unique history; at the same time, he recognizes the meaning of life in historicity. He identifies himself with Dalai Lama, the godhead of Tibet, in the manner that his selfhood is the very essence of his godhead. He also considers himself as history itself instead of himself in a stream of history. In a word, he becomes Camus's superman through the action of transcendence.

이 논문은 욘 포세 (Jon Fosse)의 희곡 『겨울 (Vinter)』을 중심으로 현실적 요소와 부조리적 요소가 결합된 연극적 특성을 분석한다. 포세의 희곡은 전통적인 극적 갈등 구조를 따르지 않고, 등장인물 간의 상호작용에서 나타나는 성별과 권력관계가 양극화되지 않는다는 점이 특징이다. 본 논문은 줄거리, 등장인물, 구조, 언어적 특징 등을 분석함으로써, 『겨울』이 사랑, 권력, 불확실성, 상실 등의 주제를 어떻게 표현하고 있는지를 고찰한다. 특히 포세의 작품에서 두드러지는 점은 침묵과 멈춤, 그리고 반복적인 대화를 통해 등장인물 간의 긴장과 내면적 갈등을 미니멀하게 표현하면서도, 그 안에 깊이 있는 실존적 불안과 인간 조건에 대한 탐구를 담아낸다는 점이다. 이는 포스트드라마의 특징을 반영하며, 포세의 작품이 단순한 내러티브 전개보다는 상황 지향적 드라마임을 보여준다. 또한 포세는 메타드라마적 기법을 사용하여, 등장인물들이 자신들의 역할과 정체성을 끊임없이 의심하고 반추하도록 만들며, 이로 인해 작품은 극적 서사의 경계를 넘어서 인간 존재의 본질적 질문으로 나아간다. 본 연구는 『겨울』을 포스트드라마의 맥락에서 분석하며, 이를 통해 포세의 작품이 20세기 아방가르드 연극의 전통을 계승하면서도 현대적 방식으로 인간 경험을 다루는 중요한 연극적 실험임을 밝힌다.

This paper explores the key theatrical elements of Jon Fosse’s Winter, highlighting its blend of realism and absurdity. The play deviates from traditional conflict structures and avoids polarizing gender and power dynamics, through analyzing on themes of love, uncertainty, and existential anxiety. Through a minimalist approach, Winter employs silences, interruptions, and repetitive dialogue to convey internal tensions and the human condition. Analyzing the plot, characters, and linguistic features, this study situates Winter within the framework of postdramatic theater, showcasing Fosse’s innovative use of metadramatic techniques that challenge conventional narrative and probe deeper questions of identity and existence, while presenting the play as a significant exploration of contemporary human experience.

.

본 논의의 목적은 폭력의 시대인 1970-80년대의 시인들이 부딪혔던 상황을 개념화할 수 있는 ‘부조리’와 어두운 시대 상황에서 사유했던 ‘악’의 문제를 연관지을 수 있는 가능성을 논하기 위함이다. 이를 위해 김정환의 시집 『황색예수 1 – 황색예수전』을 살펴보며 시인이 화자로 설정한 ‘황색예수’를 부조리한 공간과 상황에 던져놓아 독자에게 낯설음을 느끼게 만들고 이를 통해 우리가 악에 대한 문제를 생각하게 한다는 것을 밝히고자 하였다. 알베르 카뮈는 부조리를 돌연히 낯설어진 세계를 의식하는 순간 나와 세계, 나와 타자, 나와 나 자신 사이까지도 낯설어지고 단절되는 것이라고 보았다. 그런 부조리에 대한 카뮈의 자세는 희망으로의 도피 혹은 자살이 아니라 부조리를 직시하며 여기에 놓여진 인간을 바라보는 것이다. 김정환의 시에 등장하는 ‘황색예수’는 카뮈처럼 부조리를 직시하는 존재로 그려진다. 시인이 그리는 예수는 초월적 구원을 제시하며 부조리한 세계를 회피하는 것이 아니라 세계를 직시하고 그에 대한 반항을 구원으로 제시한다. 그렇기에 시집의 작품 속 ‘황색예수’는 신성한 존재가 있기에는 매우 부조리해 보이는 공간인 여관방, 시장바닥, 감옥 등에서 탄생과 부활을 반복하며 등장한다. 이 부조리가 깔리고 악이 활개치는 현세 속에서 ‘황색예수’는 그 문제들을 공동체의 ‘사랑’으로 해결하려 한다. 그 현실을 바라보는 ‘사랑’ 속에서 ‘황색예수’의 부활은 ‘피비림’을 버릴 수 없는, 즉 여전히 세상과 투쟁해야 하는 모습으로 나타나게 된다. 이와 같은 김정환의 ‘황색예수’를 통한 패러디적 시도는 1980년대 시인들이 혼란한 시대 상황 속에서 어떤 미적 방식을 통해 악과 부조리가 가득한 세계에 대한 자신의 대응을 가져가는지를 알 수 있는 단서가 될 수 있다.

The purpose of this discussion is to discuss the possibility of linking the problem of “absurdity,” which is how poets of the 1970s and 1980s conceptualized the situation they encountered in this era of violence, with the problem of “evil,” which they contemplated in the context of the dark ages. For this purpose, we examined Kim Jung-hwan’s poetry collections 『Yellow Jesus 1』 to reveal that the poet throws the narrator, “Yellow Jesus,” into absurd spaces and situations to make the reader feel unfamiliar and, through this, to make us think about the problem of evil. Albert Camus saw absurdity as a strangeness and disconnection between me and the world, me and the other, me and myself, the moment I am conscious of a suddenly unfamiliar world. Camus’s attitude to such absurdity is not one of escape to hope or suicide, but of facing the absurdity and looking at the human being placed here. The “Yellow Jesus” in Kim’s poem is depicted as a being who, like Camus, confronts absurdity. The poet’s Jesus offers transcendent salvation and does not escape the absurd world, but rather faces it and rebels against it as salvation. Therefore, in the poetry collection, “Yellow Jesus” is born and resurrected repeatedly in inn rooms, market floors, and prisons, spaces that seem very incongruous for a divine being. In this world of absurdity and evil, “Yellow Jesus” tries to solve the problems with the “love” of the community. In the ‘love’ that looks at that reality, the resurrection of the ‘yellow Jesus’ appears as a figure who cannot abandon the ‘bloody’, that is, who still has to struggle with the world. Kim’s attempts at parody through “Yellow Jesus” can be a clue to the aesthetic ways in which 1980s poets responded to a world full of evil and absurdity within the context of their own chaotic times.

21세기는 ‘분노의 시대’이다. 현대 자본주의 사회에서 개인의 높아진 기대를 충족시킬 수 없는 냉혹한 현실로 인해 좌절하는 사람들의 분노 지수가 증가하고 있다. 이러한 경향은 1980년대부터 2000년대 초반 출생한 ‘한국의 MZ세대’에게서 극명하게 나타난다. 이에 본논문은 분노가 한국 사회의 고질적인 문제이겠지만 유독 MZ세대에게 두드러진 현상임에 주목하고, 그 원인이 무엇인지 살펴본 뒤, 분노를 넘어선 새로운 삶의 시작이 어떻게 가능한지에 대해 논의한다. 이를 위해 본 논문은 부조리의 문제에 천착했던 알베르 카뮈(A.Camus)의 철학을 통해 ‘부조리’가 무엇인지 그 핵심적 논의를 먼저 고찰하고, 부조리를 경험하는 MZ세대가 왜 분노하는지 그들이 처한 경제⋅사회⋅문화적 환경과 그들만의 의식 구조를 통해 그 원인을 간단히 규명한다. 이러한 규명을 바탕으로 본 논문은 어떻게 그들이 부조리로 인한 분노를 감당할 수 있는지, 그 내면의 힘을 강화할 수 있는 철학상담의 방법을 카뮈 철학의 주요 개념인 자유, 열정, 사랑을 포괄하는 ‘반항’ 개념을 통해 제시하고 있다.

The 21st century is the era of anger. The frustration levels of individuals are increasing due to the harsh reality of modern capitalist society, which cannot fulfill the heightened expectations of individuals. This trend is particularly evident in the ‘MZ generation in Korea’, born from the 1980s to the early 2000s. This paper acknowledges that anger is a chronic issue in Korean society but pays special attention to its pronounced presence in the MZ generation. After examination of the root causes of this anger, this paper discusses how one can move past anger and initiate a new life. To achieve this, the paper first explores the philosophy of Albert Camus, who deeply pondered the issue of ‘absurdity’ in order to understand what absurdity is at its core. It briefly identifies the reasons of anger behind the MZ generation experiencing absurdity considering their economic, social, and cultural context, as well as their unique conscious structure. Based on this exploration, the paper presents a philosophical counseling approach on how they can cope with anger caused by absurdity and strengthen their inner strength through utilizing key concepts of freedom, passion, and love encompassed in the ‘rebellion’ concept of Camus’ philosophy.

카뮈는 연극 『칼리굴라』(1944)를 통해 부조리를 가장 현실적인 동시에 이상적인 방법으로 보여주고자 했다. 그는 인간들이 바라는 영원한 삶, 절대 권력과 신성화 같은 무한할 것처럼 믿었던 것들에 대해 절대 권력을 지녔던 고대 로마 황제 칼리굴라의 극 중 모습을 통해 자연스럽게 평범한 사람들도 칼리굴라와 같은 마음을 지닐 수 있다는 것을 보여주고자 하였다. 그는 연극 작품 속에 나타난 ‘극중극’의 구조적인 측면과 동시에 작품 속 폭력성과 비극성이라는 내용적인 측면을 통해 부조리를 이해시키려는 시도, 그리고 거울과 같은 오브제를 통한 현실과 환상의 세계관 및 소통의 방식을 구체화하고 있다. 연극 『칼리굴라』의 구조 속에 나타난 ‘극중극’은 연극이론가인 포레스티에(Forestier)가 지적하는 고전주의 문학 속의 보는 자와 보여지는 자의 전통적인 구조라기보다는 슈멜링(Schemeling)이 정의했던 확장된 개념의 ‘극중극’인 미장아빔과 역할 분배하기 등의 형식(『칼리굴라』 극 중에 펼쳐지는 비너스 찬미, 그림자 연극, 시작경연대회)을 보여주는 ‘극중극’인 동시에 코우잔(Kowzan)이 분류했던 칼리굴라의 극 중 연기를 중심으로 한 전체 극에 대한 반영 극을 보여주는 메타연극 형태의 ‘극중극’으로도 볼 수 있다. 또한 칼리굴라의 현실과 환상의 이중적 변화 및 거울이란 오브제를 매개로 한 두 개의 공간의 연속성은 환상 속에서 현실의 백성들에게 부조리를 가르치려는 절대 권력자의 모습과 거울 속 환상의 모습을 통해 현실 속에서 폭력성으로 나타난다. 결국 부하들의 모반으로 죽임을 당하게 되는 절대 권력자인 자신의 모습을 보면서 부조리를 극복하려 했으나 현실의 부조리를 극복하지 못하는 인간 칼리굴라이자 작가인 카뮈 본인의 모습을 투영하고 있는 것이라고 할 수 있다. 절대 권력을 가진 인간 칼리굴라의 환상의 공간 속 연기를 통한 폭력과 살인의 정당화는 결국 현실 속 반역에 의한 죽음으로 귀결된다. 죽음을 앞둔 자신의 모습을 보고 오브제인 거울을 깨뜨리며 환상에서 벗어나려는 한 인간을 보면서 우리는 카뮈가 말하고자 했던 부조리를 깨닫게 된다. 영원히 소유하고 싶지만 소유할 수 없는 권력과 무시하려고 하지만 벗어날 수 없는 죽음은 인간들의 삶 속에 무한 반복되는 화두일 것이며 살아 있는 한 모든 존재에게 부조리는 계속될 것이다. 부조리한 삶을 사는 인간은 현실과 환상 속에서 이중적인 진리를 찾아 헤매며 살아야 하는 문제를 갖고 있다. 부조리의 영원성은 삶과 죽음의 비극성과 늘 공존한다. 인간의 한계성 속에서 부조리한 인간의 모습을 보여주고 있지만, 인간들은 삶에 대한 희망을 바라고 행복을 위한 노력을 계속해야 한다.

Camus attempted to show the absurdity in both the most realistic and ideal way in his play Caligula (1944). He wanted to show in a natural way that the ordinary people can share the same mind-set with the ancient Roman emperor Caligula, who wielded absolute authority over things including eternal life, absolute power, and sanctification that those people want to enjoy. He endeavored to understand the absurdity through the structural aspect of “a play within a play” as well as the element of violence in Caligula. The “play within a play” in the structure of Caligula does not follow the conventional structure of the viewer and the seer in classical literature as was pointed out by a theater critic Forestier, but rather does the expanded concept of “a play within a play” showing the expanded concept of the Mise-en Abime play and the form of role distribution, etc. (the Praise of Venus, a shadow play, a poetry contest in Caligula) which was defined by Schemeling. as well as “a play within a play” in the form of meta-drama that shows a reflection play centered around acting, which was classified by Kowzan. In addition, Caligula’s double change of reality and fantasy and the continuity of the two spaces through the object of a mirror are manifested as violence through the figure of the absolute power trying to teach the absurdity to the people of reality in the fantasy and through the illusion in the mirror. In the end, the play projects the image of Camus, a human form of Caligula who tried to overcome the absurdity ? as he sees himself as an autocrat being eventually killed after the rebellion of his subordinates ? but cannot overcome the absurdity of reality. The justification of violence and murder through acting in the fantasy space of Caligula, a human with absolute power, ultimately leads to his death by treason in reality. As we watch a man trying to escape from his fantasy by breaking the mirror, which is an object, looking at his own face before his death, we realize the absurdity that Camus was trying to say. Power that one wants to possess forever, but cannot possess, and death that one tries to ignore but cannot escape, will be topics that are repeated indefinitely in human life, and the absurdity will continue forever for all beings. Human beings who live an absurd life have the problem of living while searching for the double truth in reality and fantasy. The eternity of the absurd always coexists with the tragedy of life and death. Although it shows an absurd human figure within the limits of human nature, humans must wish to accomplish their hope and continue to strive for happiness.

William Shakespeare is considered as part of a modern tradition trying to mirror the human condition and anxiety in all their absurdity. This research examines Shakespeare’s masterpiece Hamlet, as a precursor of Absurd theater. In Hamlet, Shakespeare represents the conflict between the absurdity of human existence and the painful perception of it in a meaningless world, which is stripped of all reasonal thoughts and explanations. To examine Hamlet in the context of the theatre of the Absurd, it will be discussed in relation to Albert Camus’s notion of the absurd with regard to their common concerns for the themes of the theatre of the Absurd such as uncertainty, death, madness and communication failure. I suggest seeing his madness as feigned madness, which can be traced from the notion of absurdity in Albert Camus. This research proposes his madness arises from the disintegration of previously accepted metaphysical and theological frameworks which had endowed existence with meaning and enables him to search for meaning in the absence of such logic. I assert that Hamlet’s action in the play is in motion towards death, and that is why he acknowledge that human existence which is absurd finally ends with death. Shakespeare exposed the futility of human labour when Hamlet made it clear that man in the precarious nature of human existence recognizes that all the experiences of his life are meaningless. This research will ultimately argue that Shakespeare’s Hamlet offers us an opportunity to speculate the meaning of life and absurdity in human condition.