| Description |
Conformity and reality have long been associated in the minds of men. A supposedly clear perception of reality is thought to be at the base of generally accepted social norms which demand conformity of the individual Whereas human society has collectively tended to look upon existence primarily as it is experienced through the senses, certain writers, in search of a more subjective, more spiritual reality, have criticized subsequently departed from the automatic acceptance of society's narrow definition of reality. Inasmuch as man's nature is spiritual as well as sensual, such writers have examined the relationship between the perception of reality and dreams, the imagination and the conception of an ideal. Thus the quest for reality becomes a quest for the achievement of a real balance of these widely disparate elements. It is the purpose of this study to examine the literature of the Decadent movement and the theater of Alfred Jarry and Eugene Ionesco in order to trace a non-conformist revolt against the blindness and absurdity to society's perception of reality. This revolt begins with Baudelaire and the Decadents as a reaction against and rejection of society and nature. In turning to the abnormal, the artificial and the mystical, the Decadent movement illustrates a different approach to the perception of reality which includes not only the exterior manifestations of the reality of existence, but also a subjective reality which exposes the secret mechanisms which govern thoughts and actions. The appearance of Jarry's Ubu Roi undoubtedly marks a decisive turning-point in this direction. Employing the cruel and the absurd, Jarry clearly exposes all that is base, ugly and corrupt in man and his ruthlessly victimizing society. In the twentieth century Ionesco continues this enterprise, shocking his audience into questioning that which is grotesque and inhumane in man, his inability to communicate and his robot-like response to existence. It will be noted that this movement of revolt and the subsequent quest for a more subjective, humane and spiritual reality has its most tangible roots in the literature of the Decadent movement. This quest has become more and more pronounced with the passage of time, so that a certain continuity, extending from the Decadent period to the most modern literary expression, has become apparent. Thus the theater of Ionesco is seen as the logical continuation of a new form of research into reality that has its origins in the Decadent movement and especially in the theater of Jarry. |
