International Journal of English Literature and Culture
 

International Journal of English Literature and Culture

Vol. 4(9), pp. 180-183, November, 2016

 ISSN: 2360-7831

DOI: 10.14662/IJELC2016.068

Review paper

Existentialism is an important aspect of modernism in art and literature and as conceived today, it is basically a philosophy of existence which was pioneered by Nietzsche and Kiekegaard and later disseminated by Sartre etc. In the 20th Century, existentialism became identified with a European cultural movement. It implies ‘quest’ of an individual for the assertion of ‘self’, despite his failures and limitations. Amidst grim facts of life, existentialism presents a philosophy of hope, ecstasy and exultation. It stresses on choice of responsibility and freedom for consequences of one’s acts. It is a representation of rejection of all abstract thinking and insists that philosophy should be connected with an individual’s own life and experience. In the present study an attempt has been made to explore existential elements in Girish Karnad’s three important plays namely Yayati, Tughlaq and Hayavadana.

Keywords: Alienation, despair, existentialism, isolation, responsibility, outsider, existence, self, absurd, angst.
 

Cite This Article As: Khursheed B (2016). Existentialism in the plays of Girish Karnad. Inter. J. Eng. Lit. Cult. 4(9): 180-183

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