Posted by Rebekah Tano on October 18, 1999 at 21:27:13:
Tom Stoppard and Joseph Heller are perhaps the most acclaimed authors of this genre, the absurd. How is it that they are able to strike a chord in the general public that their works have become an integral part of pop culture. Who is unfamiliar with the term catch-22? I would say that the majority has not read the book, yet they are quite familiar with the term. Stoppard has also managed to mainstream absurdity. As screenplay author of the film Empire of the Sun, directed by Steven Spielberg, Stoppard was able to portray scenes that were beyond normal. A friend of mine was intrigued by the scene with the English's precious valuables spread across a park in the middle of nowhere. Not until we realized that it was a Stoppard screenplay did we understand its significance. His play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead has also been made into a popular movie, reaching a large audience.
How is it that these authors are able to make the leap from experimental postmodern writing to popular fiction and theatre? Are they compromising their postmodern integrity? What do you think?