March 26 – The Stranger Agenda: Readings: “The Absurd Man” “The Absurd Hero” The Stranger Reading a Translation Reading The Stranger Take out: Pen/Pencil Homework Notebook Notes: Absurdism Homework: Read chapters 1, 2 and 3 by Friday Read to the end of part 1 by Monday

The Absurd Man & The Absurd Hero What are the characteristics of the “absurd man”? Explain the absurdist reasoning that “‘Everything is permitted’ does not mean that nothing is forbidden.” Explain Camus’ assertion that “in the absurd world, the value of a notion or of a life is measured by its sterility.” According to Camus, why is suicide not “a legitimate answer to the human predicament”? What must one do in order to live an absurd life? What is the value of an absurd life?

The Stranger (L’ Etranger) Main character/narrator: M. Mersault – an “odd” young man Takes place in Algiers (Northern Africa) Algiers was controlled by the French from The Arabs in the story are a reflection of the native population, while the French are the foreigners

The Stranger – A Translated Work Read through the “Translator’s Note” (page v-vii) and then answer the following questions in your notebook Considering that this is AP English Literature, why do you think we’re reading a book that was originally written in another language? Why is the process of translation important? What can be gained/lost in the translation? What is the “American Method” mentioned on the first page? How might that impact the meaning of the writing?

Reading The Stranger Read Part 1 – (page 1-59) By Monday Annotate/sticky-note the reading, looking for the following themes and motifs, and how they influence the main character: Mortality Isolation Religion/Spirituality Women/Femininity Sense I will be doing periodic spot-checks of your annotations, so make sure to keep up with them!