Monday, August 31, 2020

The Plague, by Albert Camus









The Plague is a philosophical novel by Albert Camus. Some people call it existentialist, but Camus, who is French, didn't really like that, much in the same way that Charles Schulz didn't like that his cartoon was called Peanuts.

 Or maybe not like that at all.

 The Plague is about a town where a plague happens. This makes it pretty timely since, well, in your town right now, wherever your town is, a plague is happening! 

 Which, as Camus would say, and I paraphrase with inappropriate gusto, totally sucks.

 There are some super timely fiction classics out there now:

 1984, in which truth is broken in authoritarian takeover. This reflects the current breakdown of truth under a burgeoning authoritarian cult slowly taking America apart.

 It Can't Happen Here, a slightly more obscure classic by Sinclair Lewis satirically presaging the above.

 The Plague, which is a philosophical novel by Albert Camus. Some people call it existentialist, but Camus, who is French, didn't really like that, much like how Charles Schulz didn't like that his cartoon was called Peanuts.

 Oops, sorry.

 I already said that.

 That's kind of embarrassing for a Camus scholar such as myself.

 What's that?

 No. No I haven't ever read The Plague by Albert Camus. I mean, I'm thinking I might try.

 It just seems so... exhausting.

But I did recently order a T-shirt of it.








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2 comments:

  1. Library LoggerAugust 31, 2020 at 2:33 PM

    I read "It Can't Happen Here" a few years back, probably right after DJT was "elected." I found it about 10 times scarier than 1984.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Feldenstein CalypsoSeptember 6, 2020 at 11:21 AM

      And I suppose reality is making its run now at these horrors of fiction.

      Delete

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