Baccalaureate, competitions, exams of all kinds… Certain readings are essential. The opportunity to revisit the classics of literature with the help of VL readings! The first work in this series: The Stranger by Albert Camus. What should we remember from this work?
Who is the author?
Albert Camus was born in Algeria in 1913. Throughout his career, he had various professions: writer, playwright, essayist, philosopher, but also journalist and short story writer. During the period of the Resistance, Albert Camus was renowned for being a very committed journalist. He therefore wrote plays, novels, short stories, films, essays and poems.
He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1957.
Journalist at Fight, his courageous positions have caused a lot of talk, particularly concerning the independence of Algeria. He fights against inequalities in the living conditions of Muslims in North Africa.
He died at age 47 in a car accident.
What is the work about?
The Stranger is Albert Camus’s first novel. Published in 1942, it is part of a tetralogy that Albert Camus called the “cycle of the absurd”. This tetralogy is composed of Myth of Sisyphus as well as plays Caligula, And The Misunderstanding.
About Albert Camus, André Malraux declared “Be careful: he will be an important writer”.
The main character, Meursault seems “alien” to his own life. From the beginning of the work, this feeling invades the reader, destabilized by the character. From the start, Meursault seems indifferent to his mother’s death. Shortly after this disappearance, he meets Marie, who will highlight the character’s indolence a little more. Some time later, Meursault’s neighbor, Raymond Sintès, asked him to write a letter to denounce his mistress’s adultery. Meursault will testify for him.
Marie, Meursault, and Raymond will go for the weekend to the cabin of a friend of the latter. During this stay, Marie will ask Meursault to marry her, to which he will respond that why not, but that it has no importance. We then see all the indifference of Meursault’s character. During the stay, numerous events will lead to the murder of a man by Meursault, without him knowing exactly why he killed. He will end up in prison for this murder.
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During Meursault’s trial, he was accused of all his indifference. It will be highlighted when questioned. His responses are sometimes disturbingly naive. The reader perceives no regret but on the contrary a lot of boredom. During his trial, he will be questioned more about his behavior following the death of his mother than about the murder. Meursault feels completely outside the trial and will ultimately be sentenced to the guillotine.
He eventually found peace the night before his execution.
Where does the title come from?
The title “The Stranger” refers to three interpretations: the main character Meursault is a foreigner, since through his indifference he is different from other men, everything is equal to him. Meursault is strange for the reader, very confusing, since it is sometimes difficult to follow its logic. Finally, the impression that remains throughout the story is that Meursault seems foreign to his own life. He does things without really knowing why he does things in such a way. He has difficulty recognizing his feelings, and even a distance from them.