Albert Camus and The Stranger

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Albert Camus and The Stranger
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Albert Camus

• Born in French Algeria in 1913
• Algiers, the capital of Algeria is the setting
  for The Stranger

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Albert Camus

• Beset by poverty throughout his life
• Excelled in sports, journalism and drama at the
  University of Algiers
• Graduated in 1936 with a degree in literature and
  philosophy
• First African-born winner of the Nobel Prize for
  Literature in 1957.
• Died in 1960

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Most Influential Works

• All written in French and later translated.
• The Myth of Sisyphus - 1941
• The Stranger - 1942
• The Plague - 1948

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Existentialism

• A philosophical, religious, and artistic movement
  characterized by
• The belief that people are created or formed by
  the experiences they have. It is action and
  choice that give life meaning, not simply the act
  of existing.
• Rene Descartes I think, therefore I am
• Human nature is irrational and chaotic, but human
  beings are free to make their own moral choices
  in life.

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Important Existentialists

• Soren Kirkegaard- Father of existentialism
  stressed the importance of the self.
• Jean-Paul Sartre wrote a play called No Exit and
  he claimed that, Hell is other people.

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Camus Philosophy

• Friend of Sarte, but later broke off their
  friendship.
• Rejected the existentialist label. Wrote about
  man facing the absurd.

In 1957, after winning Nobel Prize for Literature
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Camus Philosophy

• Devoted his life to literature that exalts truth,
  happiness, freedom, and justice.
• We are made to live for others. But one really
  dies only for oneself.
• Life must be embraced in all its unfairness,
  moral paradox, and irrationality
• Life is controlled by the absurd

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Camus and Absurdism

• Philosophical idea stating that the efforts of
  humanity to find meaning in the universe will
  ultimately fail.
• The universe (life) is chaotic and does not have
  an innate meaning or significance.
• However, absurdity does not mean life is
  meaningless. People have to create their own
  meaning in life by interact with each other while
  remaining in control of their own destinies.

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Antihero

• A nontraditional protagonist or non hero who
  presents none of the skill, intelligence or
  nobility of the standard hero.
• Mersault is noble because he maintains his
  self-respect and faces a hostile environment that
  insists on his guilt based on poor reasoning.

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Psychological Novella

• Study of a characters mind with emphasis on
  motivation, internal dialogue, and circumstance.
• Readers observe his character, values,
  friendships and frustrations.