Editing Absurdist fiction (section)

== Characteristics ==
A great deal of absurdist fiction may be humorous or irrational in nature. The absurdist humor is described as a manner of comedy that relies on [[Non sequitur (literary device)|non-sequiturs]], violation of [[causality]], and unpredictable [[juxtaposition]]s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Python beyond Python: Critical Engagements with Culture|last1=Reinsch|first1=Paul|last2=Whitfield|first2=Lynn|last3=Weiner|first3=Robert|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2017|isbn=9783319513843|location=Cham|pages=224}}</ref> However, the hallmark of the genre is neither [[comedy]] nor [[Literary nonsense|nonsense]], but rather, the study of human behavior under circumstances (whether realistic or fantastical) that appear to be purposeless and [[Absurdism|philosophically absurd]]. Absurdist fiction posits little judgment about characters or their actions; that task is left to the reader. Also, the "moral" of the story is generally not explicit, and the themes or characters' realizations &mdash; if any &mdash; are often ambiguous in nature.

Additionally, unlike many other forms of fiction, absurdist works will not necessarily have a traditional [[Dramatic structure|plot structure]] (i.e., rising action, climax, falling action, etc.). The conventional elements of fiction such as plot, characterization, and development tend to be absent.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=The Subject in Crisis in Contemporary Chinese Literature|last=Cai|first=Rong|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|year=2004|isbn=0824827619|location=Honolulu|pages=92}}</ref> Some scholars explain that this fiction entails a "going away from" a norm.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title=Comedy, Fantasy and Colonialism|last=Harper|first=Graeme|publisher=Continuum|year=2002|isbn=0826448666|location=London|pages=111}}</ref> There is also the case of the questioning of the validity of human reason, from which perceptions of the natural laws arise.<ref name=":1" />

The absurdist fiction also does not seek to appeal to the so-called collective unconscious as it is fiercely individualistic and almost exclusively focuses on exploring an individual's or a being's subjective feelings of its existence.<ref name=":0" />