The Theatre of the Absurd, a movement in mid-20th-century drama, presented characters in apparently meaningless situations whose dialogue often failed to advance any clear narrative. Playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and Eugene Ionesco wrote in the aftermath of two world wars and against the backdrop of weapons capable of obliterating entire cities. Critics who initially dismissed these plays as nonsensical later acknowledged the mood of historical crisis they expressed.
Based on the passage, which inference is most strongly supported?
- A
Critics' early reactions are always reliable indicators of a work's significance
- B
Theatre of the Absurd was widely embraced upon its first appearance
- C
Theatrical conventions develop independently of broader historical conditions
- Dcheck_circle
Innovative dramatic forms can express responses to their era that are not reducible to conventional narrative
Explanation
Apparently nonsensical plays expressing historical crisis supports B. A and D contradict the passage; C contradicts the critics' shift.