Abstract

Postmodernism is a movement that emerged as a reaction to modernism after World War II. It touches upon disappointments, pessimism and most importantly, the lonely and helpless nature of man in the universe. Contrary to tradition, in postmodernism, we are faced with works that intensify disorder, aimless thoughts, meaningless content and loss. It is seen that postmodernism supports the absurdist thought movement with its pessimistic atmosphere. The absurdist movement's characteristics of mocking facts, distorting the truth, leaving open doors and questioning social norms overlap with postmodern literature. If it is believed that literature is so connected to mythology that it cannot be separated, it can be observed that absurdism cannot be separated from postmodernism. When John Fowles' novel The French Lieutenant's Woman and Harold Pinter's play Homecoming are examined, the main lines of postmodernism are seen. The influence of the absurdist movement, which emerged simultaneously with postmodern literature, is also seen in addition to being two different genres written in the same period. When John Fowles' novel The French Lieutenant's Woman and Harold Pinter's play Homecoming are examined, the main lines of postmodernism are clearly seen. These two different types of works written in the same period also carry the influences of the absurdist movement that emerged simultaneously with postmodern literature. The aim of this study is to show the cooperation of the postmodern movement with the absurdist movement in the novels and dramas of the same period, The French Lieutenant's Woman and Homecoming.

Keywords: postmodernism, absurdism, existence, meaninglessness