Lecture Notes: "The Plague" by Albert Camus

Overview

• Publication: June 10th, 1947
• Setting: Algerian city of Oran
• Theme: Impact of an extraordinary circumstance (the plague) on modern society
• Inspiration: Based on a small plague outbreak in 1931 with 76 cases
• Narrative Style: Diary form with an anonymous narrator

Plot Summary

• City Description: Oran is a modern city, primarily concerned with health.
• Main Characters:
  • Dr. Bernard Rieux: Sent his ill wife out of town; discovers dead rats
  • Jean Tarrou: Modern historian, kept notebooks with details
  • Joseph Grand: Informed Rieux about Cottard's suicide attempt
  • Cottard: Attempted suicide

Key Events:

1. Initial Rat Deaths: Started with a few, then surged to 8000 in one day.
2. Human Symptoms Appear: Michel, a doorman, dies with plague-like symptoms.
3. Increasing Deaths: Spread of the disease leads to quarantine and isolation of Oran.

Government Response

• Preventive Measures: Initially ineffective; government intervention needed
• City Closure: Oran closed off to control the spread
• Commerce Affected: No transport, affecting business
• Severe Measures: Executions, imprisonments, public unrest

Social Impact

• Isolation: Citizens felt isolated, unable to communicate externally
• Deaths: Mass burial/incineration necessary due to high death toll
• Public Morale: Declined, with rebellion and lawlessness increasing

Individual Struggles

• Dr. Rieux: Exhausted, worried about his wife
• Tarrou & Rambert: Discuss epidemic's consequences
• Public Distrust: Fear of contamination

Hope and Recovery

• Rieux's Exhaustion: Heavily strained by constant work
• Grand's Recovery: Unexpected recovery from plague
• End of Epidemic: Signs of recovery emerge; public spaces reopen

Notable Deaths

• Commissioner Othon: Dies from the plague
• Tarrou: Succumbs despite treatment
• Rieux's Wife: Death reported via telegram

Conclusion

• Epidemic's End: Oran's gates reopen; society returns to normal
• Rieux's Reflection: Narrator revealed as Dr. Rieux
• Philosophical Insight: Highlights human solidarity in crisis
• Camus' Themes: Examines existentialist and absurdist philosophy

Philosophical Themes

• Existentialism and Absurdism: Life's meaninglessness and choices in the face of it
• Human Solidarity: Overcoming fear through collective effort and support

Awards

• Nobel Prize for Literature: Awarded to Albert Camus

Conclusion

• Societal Forgetting: Society quickly forgets the trauma post-crisis
• Tribute to Victims: Honors those who did not survive the epidemic

Additional Context

• Philosopher of the Absurd: Camus' perspective on modern man's existential crisis
  • Three Responses to Absurdity: Nihilism, religious belief, or acceptance

• Call to Action: Encouragement to read "The Plague" for philosophical insight.