The Lesson (Ionesco)

I read The Lesson recently, and I really liked it. I've seen a mediocre production of Ionesco's Rhinoceros, but this is the first of his plays that I've actually read. It's very funny, and based solely on the one time I've seen Rhinoceros, I'd say The Lesson is the better play. Then again I'm probably being a little bit tough on Rhinoceros. 

Picture Credit Here.



Anywho, The Lesson is about a young woman who goes to a professor guy in order to be tutored in subjects such as mathematics and philology. At first all seems pretty normal, but then...

"The Professor: How much are one and one?

The Student: One and one make two.

The Professor (amazed at her intelligence): Oh, that’s very good. You seem very advanced in your studies. You’ll have no trouble getting your Total Doctorate, Mademoiselle.



The Student: I’m so glad. Particularly hearing it from you."

And then later...

"The Professor: …Would you count for me?

The Student: Yes, Professor. One… two… uh…

The Professor: You know how to count, don’t you? How far can you count?

The Student: I can count to… infinity.

The Professor: But that’s impossible, Mademoiselle.

The Student: Then how about sixteen?

The Professor: That’s better. We must know our limits."

(Quotes taken from pages 60 and 61, respectively.)

Already we can see how absurd this is. Then it gets even worse, when she can't tell if four is bigger than three, and so the professor finds himself getting into the fundamentals (and the philosophical ideas) of what a number really is. It's maddening, but it's great fun. In the end, the professor's frustration gets the best of him. You may be able to guess what happens, but I'm not going to say exactly how it ends.

The Lesson is very funny, and it gets into ideas about the nature of numbers and words, and the abstractness of mathematics and language. It's a lot of fun for a quick Absurdist read.