Caligula And The Flies: On The Comparative Study Of Camus' And Sartre's Literary Writings From The Dramatic Angle

Before this paper, the comparative study of Camus and Sartre tend to focus on the correlations and differences in their thinking and philosophy, or on the rights and wrongs of their friendship. Even if there are few studies of their literary writings, they mostly focus on the absurdity. However, the writer hereby holds the view that if we just compare the small quantity of absurd writings of Sartre's with the very large absurd literary world of Camus', that will lose a vital balance in this study field. Therefore, this paper compares their literary writings with a new angle , the dramatic angle.Firstly, this paper interprets Camus'and Sartre's dramatic theories, to be exact they are Sartre's"Situation Drama"theory and Camus'"Modern Tragedy"theory. By analysis the writer points out that the two types of drama are compatible and identified with each other, and the former is included in the latter whether in style or theme . Secondly, this paper cautiously chooses Caligula and The Flies, the two dramas as representatives, meanwhile contrasting them with the tragedy model: Oidipous , to discover the mystery of Camus'and Sartre's literary works. The two works as the dramatic genre mark out the inner correlations and essential differences between Camus'and Sartre'writings: with the same adoration for drama, with the same taste of dramatic tradition typified by Greek tragedy, and facing the same human conditions featured with nihility and contingency, Sartre chooses freedom as the positive weapon to endow the existence with meanings; however, Camus preferred the gloomy absurdity to ensure the value of life from the negative side. Lastly, through an insight into their general artistic views and writing theories, this paper tries hard to hold in hand the inner correlations and differences of Camus'and Sartre's macro-literary-world in a more scientific and deeper way.In conclusion, taking the whole situation into account , this paper satarts from the micro-analysis, then turns back to the macro-level, throughout which it adopts the ways of detailed text study, literary theory investagation and philosophic thinking interpretation, together with the vital comparative methods, trying to achieve the comprehensive and objective research results.