Absurdism, Satire,

Postmodernism
Absurdism in Postmodern Literature
The idea that life and the universe do not have a reason or make sense. There is
no point to life or reality, it is just irrational and illogical. It is a part of existentialism,
and uses the lack of meaning in life to create situations that would not make
sense.

An example being Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

 Albert Camus’ “Absurd Hero”
Characteristics of the “absurd hero”: 1: recognize the absurd
2: reject suicide/ death

The ”absurd hero” embraces the struggle/ contradiction of living without purpose.

Camus defines the “absurd “hero” as complete dedication to life.

“because there is no truth or coherence in the universe, the absurd man cannot
hold values” is a philosophical idea that Camus uses to describe the “absurd
hero”
Types of Satire
Horatian: Light-hearted social commentary.

Juvenalian: More harsh humor targeted towards someone’s errors.

Menippean: Moral and social judgement over certain beliefs, such as racism.

Dark Dark humor is a kind of humour that treats sinister subjects
like death, disease, deformity, handicap or warfare with bitter
Humor amusement and presents such tragic, distressing or morbid
topics in humorous terms.
Dark Humor example:
Three WW2 pilots were shot down behind enemy lines and
captured. They were sent to a POW camp to be executed.
They were lined up and the firing squad said "Ready, aim"
and then the first pilot screams
"Tornado" then the soldiers ran for cover. When thay found
no tornado they lined back up.
"Ready aim" Then the second screeched "Bombing run" then
the soldiers ran for cover. They then lined up again. "Ready
aim" Then the third pilot knew what to do and screamed
"FIRE".
Ex: This is an old Russian WW2 joke that my
grandfather loved to tell.
During high-casualty battles between Germans and
Russians, the Russian general gets surprised by the
commander of a tiny platoon who wants to hand
over hundreds of German prisoners. When
investigating the prisoners closer, he realizes that
all of them are injured, most of them at their hands
and arms.
The general interrogates the commander:
"Very impressive! But how did you manage to take
all these hostages?"
"Ha, very simple! Just build up a machine gun next
to the German trench and yell >>HEIL!! <<"
Why is Satire popular? -Quynh Anh Do & Natalie
- Humorous (some are attracted to this element but satirical works do not
necessarily have to be at all funny)
- Political purposes: generate debates over controversial social issues
- Helps raise awareness about the current state of affairs
- Represents the population’s opposition toward certain problems in reform
plans and challenging politicians (whose actions may not work in the favor of
the people)
- Challenges viewpoints by using humor and irony
Joseph Heller

● American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays

● His most famous work is Catch-22
○ A satire on war and bureaucracy
○ Title became a synonym for an absurd or contradictory choice
● All of his novels
○ Focus on the erosion of humanistic values
○ Highlights the way language obscures and confuses reality
○ Reflects the disordered nature of contemporary existence
Joseph Heller and WWII
- taking on 60 bombard missions when he enlisted in the US Air Force
- Joseph Heller is a bombardier, basically he was the guy who dropped his
bombs over the target. Some quick info, they stare directly at the flak shells
that are coming at them. Understandable that flak might not always be scarry,
the flak guns i'm referring to are the cannons. The german 8.8 cm flak and the
russian Soviet 76-mm flak gun 3-K on YaG-10 truck. Equipped with time fuse
shells.
- Also him and his unit wanted out, but air command or someone were raising
the mission count that you have to complete in order to fill a paper document
to leave.
 How is Catch-22 an absurdist novel?

in Catch-22, Heller focuses Catch-22 on the absurdity of war

and the bureaucratic and economic presence therein; war is
portrayed as a thing of unnecessary risk to human life for
ridiculous reason. (IT’S ABSURD)

WWII Bar Fight

https://imgur.com/gallery/srJtCmA
Catch-22 Banned Books List -Quynh Anh Do
-Banned from 1972 to 1976 in Strongsville, Ohio for gun violence scenes, racist &
sexist remarks (which was common at the time of World War II [the setting of the
book])

-Around the 1970s it was also banned in several high schools in Snoqualmie,
Washington and Dallas, Texas for the term “whores” used throughout the novel
(not a lot, maybe)
Lasting Impact of Catch-22
Though Catch-22 is set during World War II, it also addresses the effects of
McCarthyism and the Red Scare during the 1950s in the United States. The book
initially met with mixed reviews, but, with the advent of American involvement in
the Vietnam War, the book became increasingly popular, eventually gaining the
status of a classic.