Literary Terms & Historical Background

Introduction to The Stranger

Childes and Williams:“An Introduction to Post-Colonial

Theory” Without reading the article, what did you

know about Post-Colonial Theory/Literature?

Based on the article, what are answers to the following: When is the post-colonial? Where is the post-colonial? Who is the post-colonial? What is the post-colonial? What are some of the BIG ISSUES of PoCo Theory?

In other words, why is it so darn controversial???

PoCo Terms Post-Colonial: Refers to the time period after colonial rule has

been suspended. Colonialism: the establishment, maintenance, acquisition and

expansion of colonies in one territory by people from another territory.

Westernization: The process by which non-Western (“Western” being Europe and USA) countries come under or adopt Western culture in regards to technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, language, philosophy, and/or values.

Imperialism: The creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationship based on domination and subordination.

Hegemony: An imperial power rules a subordinate state through indirect power (the “threat of a threat”).

Globalization: Processes of international integration arising from increasing human connectivity and interchange of worldviews, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture.

Literary ReviewSymbolism ImageryMood vs. ToneThemeFoilDirect Characterization Indirect CharacterizationNarratorTranslation

Existentialism “Basically, the existentialist assumes that existence precedes

essence, that the significant fact is that we and things in general exist, but that these things have no meaning for us except as we can create meaning through acting upon them.” (Harmon & Holman)

The universe provides no clues as to how humanity to should live. Humans are aware of the potential for nothingness, the absurdity

of the world, and our overwhelming meaninglessness. This leads to great fear, anxiety, loneliness, despair, and anguish.

Humans thus distrust of concepts and abstractions, but emphasis on the concreteness of experience.

Humans are constantly struggling to create personal meaning by investing in meaningful experiences and acting upon the world.

“Here’s the rub”: we long for meaningful experience as a way to gain personal gratification, but how is this possible in an absurd, meaningless world?

Positive spin: we are all responsible for our own actions and thus our own existence, thus we have freedom to determine the trajectory of our lives.

Negative spin: there is no one else to blame for our actions!

Existentialism in Literature

Existentialism is a full-fledged philosophy flushed out by such great philosophers as Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Sartre.

Existentialism as applied to literature typically focuses on such sweeping thematic ideas as freedom and responsibility.

Existentialist literature also tends to follow characters as they grapple with the absurdity of the universe and explores the outcomes of the decisions that they make.

Thinking About Existentialism…

Question One: Why would this movement gain such popularity in Nazi-occupied countries during/after WWII?

Question Two: Where does religion fit into existentialist theory?

The Absurd Literary extension of the

philosophy of existentialism. Human beings live in

meaningless isolation in an alien universe.

We are all moving from nothingness to nothingness and our existence is marked by anguish and absurdity.

Absurdist literature is marked by illogic, inconsistency, and nightmarish fantasy.

Harmon & Holman

Other Important TermsFatalism: Resignation in the face of events

thought to be inevitable; philosophically, the view that humans are powerless to do anything other than what we actually do.

Minimalism: A modern style of writing marked by brevity, economy, and modesty.

The “American Style”: As acknowledged by Camus—short, precise sentences; depiction of a character ostensibly without consciousness; the “tough guy” tone (Ward).

Albert Camus: Basic Background

Born in Algeria on November 7, 1913 Father died in WWI in 1914, leaving

Camus, his older brother, and his mother in poverty.

Contracted tuberculosis in high school and almost died.

How might these two events have shaped Camus’ life?

Joined an underground anti-Nazi group during WWII and became editor of a resistance newspaper. He wrote The Stranger during this time (published in 1942).

Awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1957.

Was killed in an automobile accident in 1960.

More About Camus… While working with the Nazi resistance

movement, Camus developed his theory of the absurd. This theory declared that life is essentially meaningless because of the inevitability of death.

Camus was unsatisfied with his theory, though, as he still felt that there were moral responsibilities.

Camus believed that “a novel is a philosophy put into images.”

Gained wide recognition as one of the premier French writers of his day.

His work significantly influenced the post-war generation searching for meaning in a troubled world.

Known throughout his life for his political views and activism.

Algiera Location: North Africa, on

the Mediterranean Capital City: Algiers Close proximity to Europe

and port location allowed the city/country to be heavily influenced by many different cultures for centuries.

The French captured Algeria in 1830 and ruled until overthrown in a bloody battle in the 1960s.

Colonization of Algeria Arabs, Europeans, and pieds-noirs (people of European descent born in Algeria) all

lived side-by-side in the crowded city of Algiers. Native peoples (the majority of which were Muslim), had low paying jobs performing

menial tasks for Europeans. They also had little political influence. The native population became increasingly resentful of native rule in the early

1900s. Political unrest worsened after the devastation of WWI. The National Liberation Front launched a guerrilla campaign in 1954 known as the

War of Algerian Independence. Through extraordinarily bloody means, they gained independence from France in 1962.

Camus, The Stranger, and AlgeriaCamus was considered a pieds-noirs.He published The Stranger in 1942—

before the FLN but when tensions in Algiers were quite intense.

Knowing what you now know about Camus and Algeria, how do you think his culture will impact his writing?

How will Post-Colonial Theory impact our reading and understanding of The Stranger?

“The Guest”: Reading Questions Please read Camus’ short story, “The Guest.” The copy provided is

yours to keep so feel free to write on it. You may work in small groups or independently. Please pay special attention to the following elements/ideas: Isolation Colonialism Existentialism Absurdity Self-determination Symbolism of the map, the setting, the prisoner and his bonds

When you have finished reading, write an organized one-paragraph response that discusses one of the following questions: Discuss the extent to which this short story depicts existentialist

philosophy. Discuss the impact and depiction of colonialism in the story.