This thesis studies the alienated characters of Albert Camus&rsquo / s The Outsider, John Wain&rsquo / s Hurry On Down and Yusuf Atilgan&rsquo / s Aylak Adam, respectively. It argues that each of the protagonists of these novels experiences alienation. That is, Camus&rsquo / s character is an alienated man because he has the characteristics of an absurd man / Wain&rsquo / s character is an estranged man due to his social discontentment and Atilgan&rsquo / s C. is an outsider owing to his psychological problems. The works are analyzed with philosophical, social and psychological foundations consisting of Camus&rsquo / s absurd worldview for Meursault / the social and cultural aspects of Britain in the 1950s for Charles Lumley and Sigmund Freud&rsquo / s psychological theories for C. Although the reasons that make these protagonists alienated differ, they mainly share similar attitudes towards their fellowmen, social conventions and metaphysical issues in some cases. Thus, through the analyses of the protagonists, the study discloses how these outsiders occupied a major place in the existential, social and psychological spheres of life in the twentieth century and became a universal source for the writers who came from different cultural, intellectual and historical backgrounds. This thesis has been written in order to contribute to the problem of outsiderness, which has been of great significance in the twentieth century European Literature.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-137).

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Kintant laikams, minios elgesio, mąstymo bruožai iš esmės lieka nepakitę. Masė vis dar pasiduoda neracionaliems sprendimams, idėjoms, yra valdoma įvairiausių emocijų. Kritiškas individo protas yra nugalimas absurdiško fanatizmo išraiškų. Šiandieninėje Lietuvos kultūroje, vienas iš ryškiausių minią užliejančios karštligės atitikmenų - tai krepšinio sirgaliai, skanduojantys patriotinius šūkius, stabais verčiantys žaidėjus. Šiuolaikiniame mene taip pat nelieka nepastebėta ši tema, analizuojamas krepšinio santykis su visuomene, jo reikšmės kaita skirtingais laikmečiais. Darbo objektas. Trijų tapybos darbų ciklas – sirgalių portretai. Gilinimasis į darbo temą padėjo pažinti šį masininį reiškinį, minios bruožus ir apskritai sąmoningiau įvertinti, koks yra asmeninis santykis su masine karštlige. / As times change, the behaviour of mass and way of thinking remain the same. Mass is still relying on irrational solutions, ideas and is controlled by various emotions. Absurd fanatic manifestations overcome the critical mind of an individual. Nowadays, in the Lithuanian culture, one of the most prominent display of the mass fever can be recognised in basketball fans that cheer, shout patriotic slogans and tend to turn basketball players into idols. In contemporary art this theme is not overlooked – the relation between basketball and the society is constantly being analysed, as well as the change of its meaning in different periods of time. The object of work. The cycle of three painting works – portraits of fans. The theme of the work focuses on this mass phenomenon, analyses the main features of the mass and helps to evaluate own goals more consciously.

This thesis examines the entirety of Joseph Heller's career as a novelist and explores the various existential themes uniting a seemingly diverse body of work. Considering Heller's relationship to the philosophy of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, "Towards a Postmodern Absurd: The Fiction of Joseph Heller" suggests that the novelist promotes the same existentially authentic lifestyle of revolt originally articulated by the French existentialists. Refuting the critical assessment of Heller's fiction as formless, this thesis argues that Heller deliberately structures his fiction around the concept of dejd vu in order to buttress the author's existential concerns with the absurdity of human existence. Finally, in response to the recent debates over Joseph Heller's place in the postmodern American canon, the thesis identifies the author's use of such postmodern concepts as pastiche and paranoia as a further reinforcement of the relevance of an absurdist worldview in contemporary America.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Elaine B. Safer, Dept. of English. Includes bibliographical references.

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In recent cinematic history, films have often expressed through the experiences of characters an 'existential moment' in which fundamental assumptions about life are questioned and potentially rendered meaningless. The purpose of this project is to follow two accounts of this expressed moment in the 1999 films American Beauty and Fight Club, understanding them as such through particular readings of the philosophical articulations of Albert Camus. I analyze the social climates of liberalism and consumerism that might account for these expressions of discontent and anxiety at the same time I evaluate the validity of existential thought in the contemporary social world. Ultimately, I question what kinds of political qualms absurdity might render, using film experience as a venue to understand and evaluate these questions. / Master of Arts