The existentialist : philosopher and/or artist : a justification of literary art forms as an alternate means of contemporary philosophic expression

Abstract

The crux of the thesis demonstrates two related points: first, that the existentialists are justified in using different means of expression; and consequently, that criticism directed at the existentialist's usage of different forms of expression is unfounded. It was noticed that the existentialist is frequently referred to as a neurotic, morbid novelist/artist. It was assumed that such criticism does not constitute a valid argument against the existential philosophies.

The first part of this thesis was organized to answer the following claim: if Existentialism, as a philosophy, is adequately different from what is normally perceived as traditional philosophy, then this difference supports the decision to use an alternate means of expression.

In the second part, the literary art forms were examined. The claim is: if art forms (such as the novel and the drama) can satisfy the requirements of traditional philosophy, and are also beneficial to the expression of the existential philosophies, then this also supports the crux of the thesis.

In the third part, a refutation of the chief concerns raised regarding the legitimacy of art forms as an alternate means of philosophic expression was presented. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)