Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

THE STRANGER by ALBERT CAMUS 617WkdpG8xL._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_ - Coggle…

- - - - Raised in poverty by mother who was of Spanish decent, half deaf and illiterate. He was very close to her and stayed in contact with her throuout his lifetime.
      - never knew his father who died in WW1 (1914)
      - born on november 7, 1913 in Mondovi, French Algeria.
      - dominated by a stern grandmother
      - Had brother, Lucien
      - lived in an extended family, in a modest apartment located in one of Algiers' working districts
      - in 1935 graduated with a degree in philosophy. Thesis: d Christian Metaphysics and Neoplatonism
      - His academic career was interrupted by tuberculosis, but his studies deeply influenced his later work.
      - His hypersensitive cultural and political antennas led him to join the Communist party, which promptly threw him out in 1937 after he had uttered growing reservations concerning some of the party's ideological framework and his criticism of its local and international implementations
      - At 17, Albert Camus contracted tuberculosis.
      - To support himself, he worked various odd jobs, including as a journalist for the local newspaper Alger républicain.
        He progressed from book reviewer, court and investigative reporter, to editor-in-chief at the newspaper.
        In 1937 and 1939, he published two lyrical essays in Algiers: L'Envers et l'endroit (Betwixt and Between) and Noces (Nuptials).
        His anti-colonial political views led to the newspaper being censored by the conservative local government at the start of WWII.
      - In March 1940, he moved to Paris due to political pressure and censorship.
        Despite Paris being a cultural and intellectual hub, Camus always felt like an outsider due to his North African origins.
      - In December 1940, he married Francine Faure.
      - In Paris, he brought drafts of his first major works, L'Étranger (The Stranger) and Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus), which were published in 1942 during the German Occupation.
      - His poor health prevented him from teaching in public schools and from taking the agrégation exam, a requirement for a secondary school teaching position.
        Earlier in Algiers, he had declined a teaching position despite initially accepting it, preferring journalism and private tutoring.
        Camus gave private lessons to earn money when necessary, using his pedagogical skills.
- - - - This opening line highlights Meursault’s emotional detachment and indifference to significant events, setting the tone for the novel’s exploration of life's absurdity.
  - - - Meursault’s struggle to stay awake during his mother’s vigil highlights his passive and detached approach to life’s events, even those that society deems important.
  - - - The emphasis on the impact of light on Meursault’s physical state illustrates his detachment from emotional experiences, focusing instead on the sensory aspects of his environment.
    - - Meursault’s actions during his mother’s vigil, such as drinking coffee and smoking, show how he prioritizes his physical needs and experiences over societal expectations.