The Nature of the Absurd in Romantic Literature

Abstract

Concrete definitions regarding the idea of the Absurd have generated controversies since the 19th century. While vastly used in daily life as a synonym of being illogical, unreasonable or foolish, absurdity or absurdism – both nouns are used almost interchangeably, although the latter is more commonly used when being referred to as a philosophical theory – different authors and critics have associated the Absurd with the duality of “love of life and [the] concomitant awareness of the inevitability of death” (Bowker, 48), and the consequences of such dichotomy in the meaning of living. Giving rise to an eponymous branch in fiction (most prominently in theater), absurdist ideas are typical of the Modern period. The aim of this essay is then to provide different views from key figures with respect to the topic mentioned aforesaid and find evidences of the Absurd in literary works studied in the course, presenting, therefore, Romanticism as some sort of precursor to this modern school of thought. Besides documenting such findings, central aspects of Romantic literature such as the sublime and social critique will be explained based on an absurdist perspective. The main works analyzed were the Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole and a series of poems, with emphasis on John Keats and William Wordsworth's writings.