Absurdism

Henri Duval is a swashbuckling adventure with an absurdism straight out of Douglas Fairbanks: Siegel makes his hero a dandy who draws swords on men who insult his clothes.

It is a sense of irrational well-being that can seduce perfectly rational people to believe such absurdisms as “Two can live as cheaply as one…” Later (about 9 1/2 weeks) comes the rational spoilsport follow up “…for half as long.”