Experimentationwiththeabsurd,bothinthemeandtechnique,isbynomeansatotallynewdevelopmentinliterature,especiallyforthosereadersfamiliarwiththeworksofCamus,Kafka,Beckett,Genêt,andRobbe-Grillet.Likethesewriters,Mr.Barthelmesatirizesandmimicsmostoftheclichésofourpopularculture,and,throughthepredicamentsofhischaracters,makesthereaderaskWhy?Yetthesepredicaments,althoughbizarre,inane,andusuallysurrealistic,donotnecessarilycontainthemoroseconnotationsofmostwritersoftheabsurd.Forexample,inonetalethenarr...