Camus The Stranger

What are The Absurds  When escaping the Nazi's in France, Camus carried with him three manuscripts, which he called "The Absurds”

The Absurds are: Three of Camus’ works:  Novel: L'Etranger (The Stranger)  Essays: Le Mythe de Sisyphe (The Myth of Sisyphus)  Play: Caligula (a cruel, sexually perverse, and insane ruler of island of Capri)

For Camus:  the absurd was not negative, not a synonym for "ridiculous," but the true state of existence.  Accepting the view that life is absurd is to embrace a "realistic" view of life: the absence of universal logic.  One might rephrase Camus' Absurdism as "G-d? No thanks… I'm on my own."

Camus and meaning  Many mistakenly believe Camus saw no meaning in life; even Camus and Nietzsche seek "meaning" in life, but not in manners familiar to most.  For Camus, meaning was in the human experience.  Absurdity does not render life meaningless -- people have meaning because they interact with each other, while remaining in control of their own destinies.

Existentialism  group of attitudes that emphasizes existence rather than essence  sees the inadequacy of human reason to explain the enigma of the universe  Basically the existentialist ASSUMES that existence precedes essence

Existentialism  we and things in general exist, but that these things have no meaning for us except as we CREATE meaning through acting upon them  It attempts to codify the irrational aspect of human nature, to objectify nonbeing or nothingness and see it as a universal source of fear, to distrust concepts, and to emphasize experiential concreteness.

Meaninglessness  produces discomfort, anxiety, loneliness in the face of limitations, and desire to invest experience with meaning by acting upon the world, although efforts to act in a meaningless, "absurd" world lead to anguish, greater loneliness, and despair

Anxiety  Human beings are totally free but are also wholly responsible for what we make of ourselves  This freedom and responsibility are the sources for their most intense anxiety

Jean Paul Sartre  Sartre was largely responsible for the "trendy" nature of existentialism – –the lingering images of men and women wearing black, smoking Turkish cigarettes, drinking black coffee.

Sartre’s Existentialism  maintains that in man, and in man alone, existence (concrete) preceded essence (abstract).  Man must create his own essence: it is in throwing himself into the world, suffering there, struggling there, that he gradually defines himself.

More on Sartre  merely stating that man, as the only sentient being on earth, was forced to define who he was through living, while objects are what they are until destroyed.  Take Sartre's notion that "in man, and in man alone" there is first the body, then an essence is defined through actions.

Sartre’s view on all other objects  Objects: essence precedes existence; they have meaning then form.  Man exists, then his essence forms

Nietzsche  his approach to philosophy is more radical than Camus’  Nietzsche's view: "G-d is dead."

Nihilism  the complete disregard for all things that cannot be scientifically proven or demonstrated (such as religion)

Nietzsche's claims  did not claim that nothing exists that cannot be proven, nor that those things should be disregarded.  What Nietzsche did suggest was that many people used religion, especially Judeo-Christian teachings, as a crutch for avoiding decisive actions.

Nietzsche  His contribution to existentialism was the idea that men must accept that they are part of a material world, regardless of what else might exist.  As part of this world, men must live as if there is nothing else beyond life.  A failure to live, to take risks, is a failure to realize human potential.

The Stranger French title: l'Étranger Written 1938 Published 1942; 1946 English

The title  The U.S. title, The Stranger, implies the main character, Meursault, has been viewed as a "strange" or "odd" person for some time.

Archetype  Meursault is the archetype of a middle- class man.  He works as a clerk, rents an apartment, and draws no attention to himself. He is, if anything, ordinary.  Meursault might even be boring.  He lacks deep convictions and passion.  If he is estranged from any aspect of French society, it is religion.

Meursault  He is not a stranger, but rather an observer without an emotional connection to the world.  Meursault's name is symbolic of the Mediterranean. –Mer means "sea" and –Soliel is French for "sun."

Arabs at the time  Arabs were traditionally the targets of racism in Algiers.  The culture and religion of Arabs were deemed simple and barbaric.