American Horror Story and Philosophy:
The Absurdity at the Heart of Horror
Madison Berry H02
This chapter of American Horror Story and Philosophy was written by Gerald Browning. Browning analyzes how exactly absurdity plays into the horror genre and why it is so important. In his essay, he uses absurdity as defined by Albert Camus: “the human condition- the quest to find meaning in a meaningless universe.” As a matter of fact, Browning believes the absurdity of American Horror Story heavily mirrors the absurdity in Camus’ The Myth of Sisyphus (read the Sparknotes’ analysis here). A king is damned to an eternity of labor with no payoff. This idea is mirrored in horror, specifically in American Horror Story, by the insignificance of the protagonists’ efforts to survive. From the previous seasons of American Horror Story, we know that it is very seldom we, the audience, get to see a happy ending for the main characters. In several cases, we get to watch the characters meet their demise several times. This conveys the message that ultimately the lives of the characters, what they do, and life, in general, has minimal meaning. A very obvious example of this occurs in season 6: Roanoke (summaries for all the episodes here).
Even though the first half of the season follows the journey of the protagonists’ escape from their haunted house, all of the characters then return despite all common sense. Because of this obviously (you would think) dumb decision, SPOILER the entire group of characters that the plot follows ends up dead, except one, to the same forces they once fled.
(the main character and her show counterpart shown below)
Ultimately, the story initially fed to the viewers had no meaning at all. Browning continues his analysis as he looks at the second season of American Horror Story: Asylum. He characterizes absurdity in another way: the futile attempts of humans to characterize the world around us. This is mirrored in the deep complexity of the American Horror Story universe with the very subtle overlaps of the seasons. The fact that we cannot truly understand our universe and reach a critical mass is simply because we die too soon. In Asylum, the former Nazi, Dr. Arden, constantly performs cruel experiments on patients he believes to have had contact with extraterrestrial life. In the same way Dr. Arden chases aliens, we chase understanding of the universe, but true comprehension of it is purely impossible. Browning also relates absurdity to the innocence at the heart of us all. We are faced with absurdity when we realize the things we care about are not permanent and ultimately have to real weight in the universe. In the case of Murder House, we witness the birth of the antichrist in the form of a newborn child. Browning emphasizes how ridiculous it is to imagine such an innocent figure to be the bringer of all damnation. This absurdity is everywhere, and “the recognition of absurdity is in many ways the destruction of innocence.”
Ultimately, Browning equates the absurdity of horror with the insignificance of the human individual’s existence. Just as the characters unsuccessfully sought to survive, escape, and carry on their lives, humans attempt to gain knowledge and comprehend the world around us with no payoff.
Questions
1. What is absurdity?
2. What does the author compare the absurdity in AHS to?
3. Why can't we reach knowledge of a critical mass?
4. What is to us that aliens are to Dr. Arden?
Discussion Questions?
· Why does horror focus on the loss of innocence?
· Why would people willingly watch the absurd?
· Do you personally believe you are being shown that your life is meaningless when you watch horror?
"humans attempt to gain knowledge and comprehend the world around us with no payoff" - No payoff? I think we've been receiving a pretty good return on investment, ever since we began trying to understand the world in rational terms. Hence, the payoff bears an inverse relationship to the extent of our investment in the supernatural... and the deepest absurdity lies in believing in zombies and the "walking dead" et al.
ReplyDeleteMadison, I enjoyed your continuation of AHS and philosophy! Of the existentialist philosophers, Albert Camus is probably my favorite and the one I find most accessible. It was nice to see you work in the idea of the absurd, an idea that many people find unsettling. Moreover, Camus' "solution"––better, his response––to absurdity isn't satisfying to many. Just ask Dr. Oliver! However, I think it captures the stubborn reality of existential angst pretty well. It was interesting to hear horror described as a kind of analogy for human beings struggling to make meaning in an indifferent––and often effectively adverserial––universe. This analogy has its breaking points though, even for me. After all, as tragic as the circumstances of life can be, it isn't the total massacre that you get in most horror. We struggle, we push, we wrestle––and I believe that, while the results of such effort can be harshly limited and perceptibly futile, we do manage to squeeze meaning out of life, through relationships, passionate pursuits, etc. The danger with Camus and other similarly minded thinkers is that what they offer can yeild bleak results. So, I wish Browing made more of an attempt to "look on the bright side" of the indifferent universe, to see this indifference, to quote Dr. Oliver, as an "invitation" to make life meaningful using the full range of our creativity and passion. Nice work with a such a heavy topic, Madison. I'll definitely be thinking about this, especially the "critical mass" of understanding idea. Reminds me of the whale from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy!
ReplyDelete