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| Das Undbild, 1919, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart - Kurt Schwitters Dada and Merz DADA, SURREALISM AND OULIPO |
I am ashamed to admit that
I am an utter and complete neophyte when it comes to Dada, Surrealism and
Oulipo. The closest I can navigate to
the topic would be through absurdist literature by authors like Kurt Vonnegut,
in Cat’s Cradle or Slaughterhouse Five, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting
for Godot, or Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis,” but those provide a random
smattering at best. Correlations between
absurd works and what I have learned in the past week about the topic seem to
indicate they are closely, if not inter-, related, so it will be interesting to
see the differences defined. I am certainly highly intrigued by the topics, and
preliminary research has piqued my interest even further; but I am starting
from scratch in this academic pursuit, and look forward to encountering new
genres and works.
Alfred Jarry’s play “Ubu Rex”
provides an interesting introduction to the genre. I would characterize the
play as political commentary, highly critical of the behaviors of those in
power. The comedic farce of the main characters, particularly Pa Ubu, provides
snarky, delightful skewering of some of the tools used by those in, or aspiring
to, political clout throughout history.
Jarry lambasts a wide variety of the norms in authoritative figures,
from their digestive habits to their cowardly attempts at conquering the masses.
His characters, though sparsely drawn (in a verbal sense) sparkle with
revolting personality, and the names he gives them are hilarious. In terms of literary precedence, it is
difficult not to consider Godot, and the farcical characters therein contemplating
the meaning of life amid pratfalls and crude humor. Both plays offer a cynical
view of humanity and its response to ambition and interpersonal relationships,
as well as ambiguous, uncertain conclusions – which plays, for me, fairly close
to reality.
