Transcript Existentialism, Albert Camus, and The Stranger

Existentialism, Albert
Camus, and The Stranger
Albert Camus (1913 - 1960), a
French philosopher of the absurd,
novelist, and dramatist
History of Algeria
• French become involved because of
political disagreement with the
Ottomans
• Evidence of human presence since
4000 B.C.
• Settlers include African civilizations,
Romans, Arabs, Turks, Europeans
• The Turks win control of the area and
allow pirates to monitor as
representatives of Ottoman Empire
• French army lands in 1830 and begins
colonizing the area
• French colonizers face rebellions and a
large Muslim population
• Both groups want equal rights
Conflicts in Algeria
Left: Place de la republique, Algiers, 1899
• French settlers have ruling rights, excluding natives, Muslims, and others from power
• French force Muslims to pay higher taxes
• French hold the majority of farmable land
• French government decides to grant French citizenship to Algerian Jews but not Muslims
• Furthers separation between different groups
• Conflicts last until the mid 1900s
Algeria
in the
early
1900s
Life in Algeria for Albert Camus
• Born November 7, 1913 in
Mondovi, Algeria
• Father dies in WWI before Camus
is a year old and mother is
physically disabled
• Grows up in poverty
• Receives a scholarship to attend
school
• Contracts tuberculosis which stays
with him for the rest of his life
• Receives a degree in philosophy in
1936 from University of Algiers
• Begins writing stories and essays
reflecting his life in Algeria with the
common themes:
• Poverty, racism, corruption,
mistreatment of women
• Vulnerability of human life
• Never-ending status of world
• Works as a playwright and actor,
eventually becomes journalist for
Alger-Republicain in 1938
• Moves to France at start of WWII and
joins resistance movement
• Awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature in
1957
• Dies in automobile accident in 1960
A Poem by Stephen Crane
A man said to the universe:
“Sir I exist!”
What is the relationship
like between the man and
the universe?
“However,” replied the universe,
“the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.”
What does “obligation”
mean?
What does this poem say
about our role in the
world?
What is Existentialism?
1. “a philosophical theory or approach that
emphasizes the existence of the individual person
as a free and responsible agent determining their
own development through acts of the will”
2. “A body of ethical thought centering about the
uniqueness and isolation of individual experience
in a universe indifferent or hostile to man,
regarding human existence as unexplainable, and
emphasizing man’s freedom of choice and
responsibility for the consequences of his acts”
What is Existentialism?
• The word first appeared in 1941
• Individuals must not allow their
choices to be constrained by
ANYTHING -- not even reason
or morality. One has the
ultimate freedom to choose.
Death: According to Existentialists
• Simply put: Life is short, then you die.
• According to Sartre, death is an absurd birth…it is nothing but the wiping
out of my existence as a conscious being
• What’s the point of anything if everyone dies?
Moral Individualism
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No standards for what’s right and wrong
No single standard for moral decisions
I decide what’s moral.
I’m responsible for the consequences of
my actions.
The Stranger
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Published in 1942 – smack in the middle of World War Two
Also called The Outsider
Camus’ first novel
Focuses on the philosophies of absurdity and existentialism
Takes place in Algeria
First-person POV (Meursault)
Separated into two parts (first part leading up to a major incident; second part after
the incident)
Discussion points:
1. Existence is absurd and true meaning in life is impossible.
2. Day to day existence is filled with anxiety and fear.
3. The idea that I am born into a particular time, place,
family, and economic environment is absurd.
4. When I am born, I am undefined without any prior essence or preconceived personality or
soul.
5. In life, I must make choices regardless of what’s best for others. I can only choose what’s
best for me.