Reading The Plague in the midst of a pandemic is an odd experience. Itās hard to say whether it makes the story more impactful or less. The idea of a city going into lockdown isnāt particularly shocking to me now, but, at the same time, I can appreciate the accuracy of the depiction in a way I wouldnāt have been able to previously.
At the heart of the story is Camusās absurdist philosophy. Iām not being hyperbolic when I say it has genuinely changed my life. Iāve often struggled with hopelessness and pessimism, so the insistence on fighting losing battles ā on knowing you canāt fix the world but doing the best you can regardless ā was something I took to heart. This philosophy most obviously manifests in the actions and beliefs of the protagonists (āYour victories will always be temporary, thatās all.ā [...] āAlways, I know that. But that is not a reason to give up the struggle.ā) but thereās also something to be said about the way it intertwines with other themes. Take language, for instance. There is initially some debate over whether or not the plague should be called a plague, the citizens of Oran struggle to verbalise their anguish when the city is quarantined, and Grand is stuck writing and rewriting the first line of his novel. Words are not enough to accurately describe the human experience, but we try to communicate with them anyway. The irony of this message being conveyed through a work of literature does not escape me.
Speaking of language, my copy of The Plague features a sub-par translation, and Iām going to attribute the clunky sentence structure and wonky grammar to overly-literal translation from French to English. Nevertheless, Camusās skill as a writer shines through. Something I picked up on was the way he set the mood through careful pacing. The book starts off slow and meandering when discussing the banality of life in Oran before the plague, then pivots to quick, urgent clauses when the plague strikes. Itās masterful.
There are some aspects of the book which deserve criticism (for example, women exist only in their relationships to men) but thereās also so much to love. I think this is the best novel Iāve ever read? I will definitely be checking out the rest of Camusās work.
Hats off, gentlemen!
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Ableism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Child abuse, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gore, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Sexual content, and Slavery