Two works by French author Albert Camus explore the concept of the absurd in modern literature. The Myth of Sisyphus and The Stranger emphasize the psychological implications of the absurd.

Waiting for Godot, a play written in French by Irish born playwright Samuel Beckett, is a tragicomedy in which nothing happens except conversations that suggest the meaninglessness of life. Although bleak and austere, the drama is humorous, making a statement about the will to live and the ability to hope when hope is lost.

According to The Reader's Encyclopedia, the plays of Eugene lonesco are characterized by deliberate non sequiturs, the logic of nightmares, and strange metamorphoses. These farces are essentially comic, however, because lonesco is sympathetic to any human attempt, inadequate or otherwise, at communication and love. Two of his better-known works are The Chairs and Rhinoceros.

The Maids...