The Plague

:For the disease, see Black Death.

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The Plague (fr. La Peste) is a novel by Albert Camus, published in 1947.

Related Topics:
Fr - Novel - Albert Camus - 1947

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The story of medical workers finding solidarity in their labor as the Algerian city of Oran is swept by a plague. It asks a number of questions relating to the nature of destiny and the human condition. The characters in the book, ranging from doctors to vacationers to fugitives, all help to show the effects the plague, a disaster, has on a populace.

Related Topics:
Algerian - Oran - Plague

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Generally taken as a metaphoric treatment of the French resistance to Nazi occupation during World War II, The Plague is interpreted to mean much more. Camus uses extreme hardships (i.e. Pain, suffering, death,and all that plague itself brings to represent our human world. The story is told through the narrative of the main character, Dr. Rieux, whose decidedly existential account of events in the story is not only helpful in exploring the philosophy of existentialism, but also in making this an allegory of the nature of life and suffering. Although his approach in the book is severe, he emphasizes the ideas that we ultimately have no control, irrationality of life is inevitable, and he further illustrates the human reaction towards the ?absurd?. In summary The Plague represents how a world deals with the absurd, the theory of which Camus himself helped to define.

Related Topics:
French resistance - Nazi - World War II - Absurd

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