The central concern of absurdist writers is the metaphysical distancing of word and object, thought and reality, essence and existence. In this book, Blocker argues that the literary problem of absurdity is basically a metaphysical problem of being, focusing on the metaphysical distinction of being as essence and being as existence. Each of the four central chapters of the book compares philosophical prose with the fiction writing of four major absurdist writers-Camus, Sartre, Ionesco, and Beckett. The book contrasts what Ionesco described as the "heavy" and "light" aspects of absurdity. This opposition is parallel to the contrast between the negative, pessimistic reading of Western writers-with their emphasis on "existence"-and the positive, optimistic view of Eastern, especially Buddhist authors, with their emphasis on "essence."

What is the appropriate content of aesthetics for students of art at different age levels? How can it best be taught? How should it be combined with studio work and other art disciplines? Michael J. Parsons and H. gene Blocker answer these and other questions in a volume designed to help art educators, potential educators, and curriculum developers integrate aesthetics into the study of art in the school curriculum. The two introduce some of the philosophical problems and questions in art, encouraging teachers and others to form a personal outlook on these issues.