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Plague

By Albert Camus

(74)

| Paperback | 9780140180206

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Book Description

Translated by Stuart Gilbert

8 Reviews

1 person find this helpful

I love the way it distants me from the world

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fruit said on Apr 13, 2007 | Add your feedback

Perhaps it's worth noting that "The Plague" isn't simply a generalized reference to the central plot of the book, but also a reference to a "human plague," a self-constructed virus that slowly corrodes human innocence, freedom, belief, faith, and love. Camus creates a world where these two plagues a ... (continue)

Perhaps it's worth noting that "The Plague" isn't simply a generalized reference to the central plot of the book, but also a reference to a "human plague," a self-constructed virus that slowly corrodes human innocence, freedom, belief, faith, and love. Camus creates a world where these two plagues are juxtaposed. There is a quest to find (or rediscover) one's sense of purpose within the anomalies. Rieux, narrator and protagonist, tirelessly battles the effects of both the physical and personal plague.

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fruitfulfig said on Mar 22, 2012 | Add your feedback

"The Plague" is a depressing story about life in Oran, Algeria beset by bubonic plague. Written shortly after WWII, it is often seen as an allegory for the occupation of France during those years.
The story spends a lot of time describing how the plague affects the inhabitants of Oran in general te ... (continue)

"The Plague" is a depressing story about life in Oran, Algeria beset by bubonic plague. Written shortly after WWII, it is often seen as an allegory for the occupation of France during those years.
The story spends a lot of time describing how the plague affects the inhabitants of Oran in general terms. There are a few characters but none of them is very well developed. All seem to go about their lives, dealing with the plague in very stoic, inhuman ways. The exception is the journalist Rambert (see below). Furthermore, there's not much plot. The plague arrives; rats start dying; people start dying; the epidemic peaks, then diminishes and finally lifts; rats reappear; the end.
The most interesting part of the story are about Rambert, a journalist visiting Oran to write about the plight of the Arabs. When the plague arrives, the city is quarantined and Rambert is stuck there exiled from his life in France (Camus really loves exile and estrangement). Rambert is initially desperate to leave and see his wife and hatches several plans to escape Oran. Eventually, however, he decides to stay and fight the plague.
Jean Tarrou and Dr. Bernard Rieu question Rambert on his decision. "Why stay?" they ask him, "there's no shame in choosing happiness". Rambert has his reasons: he would always feel guilty for leaving and end up begruding his wife. It wouldn't be the same. Rambert turns to the other two and asks, "why do you stay? Have you made your choice and given up on happiness?"
Neither Tarrou or Rieu has an answer. We don't always understand ourselves, or how we act. "I am made a question onto myself", wrote St. Augustine. Maybe life would be better if we just made a couple different choices, or had more courage.
Anyway, the story itself is not recommended. The problem with philosophers that dabble in fiction is none of them are really good writers.

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€5ʍϵ϶nk said on Oct 12, 2010 | Add your feedback

I arrived at half of this book then left it in the airplane....such a shame and waste of money now i need to re-buy it!!
So far looks amazing: is not a story of plague in the meaning of adventure books but a very psychologic story or report about people, feelings that this situation brings into the ... (continue)

I arrived at half of this book then left it in the airplane....such a shame and waste of money now i need to re-buy it!!
So far looks amazing: is not a story of plague in the meaning of adventure books but a very psychologic story or report about people, feelings that this situation brings into the population and interactions or change of them in an ipothetic city in Algeria that suddenly enter into quarantine due to the plague.
The way is written is shockingly clear, powerful, deeply accurate and I just suggest you have a look at it.
More details after I re-buy it and finish :)

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Gnosoz said on Mar 12, 2010 | Add your feedback

The important thing isn't the soundness or otherwise of the argument, but for it to make you think.

Once upon a time, many years ago, I read 'L'etranger' and 'The Myth of Sisyphus' back to back. They were both brilliant little books - one a thesis on the futility of existence, the other a vivid illustration of this fact.
I always felt that this was enough Camus for me. I'm not sure why - I t ... (continue)

Once upon a time, many years ago, I read 'L'etranger' and 'The Myth of Sisyphus' back to back. They were both brilliant little books - one a thesis on the futility of existence, the other a vivid illustration of this fact.
I always felt that this was enough Camus for me. I'm not sure why - I think that as beguiled as I was with the two, I had a sense that I wouldn't enjoy anything else he'd written quite as much, that those topics had been adequately discussed already and any other subject would seem trivial.
'The Plague' does not really compare to either book, I feel. It's more of an abstraction of Camus' earlier philosophy put into the stark relief of post-war France. As a reflection of a nation struggling to comprehend the joy of liberation being tempered with the horror of the previous decade it's a brilliant novel. Without that historic knowledge it does not feel particularly relevant or innovative - instead, it feels flat.
But I did enjoy it. It does have its flaws but everyone should be able to find something within it to reflect upon. To me, the revealing of the narrator's identity at the end made me consider the nature of impartiality - certainly not Camus' main aim when writing the book but definitely there nonetheless.
It's an important novel and still deserves to be read, but please, if you are new to Camus, give 'L'Etranger' a try first.

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Ben Daubney said on Aug 9, 2008 | Add your feedback

An interested idea played out in a way I find pretty realistic when it comes to the way we treat each other.

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Jason Fawcett said on Aug 30, 2007 | Add your feedback