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Title: Camus: The Stranger (Landmarks of World Literature (New))
ISBN: 0521832101
Author:
Patrick McCarthy
Publicate Date: 2004-01-19
Publish: 2004-01-19
List Price: $48.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $54.37
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $66.81
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1: Honest.
This book, at first, seems plain. The simplicity and clarity of the writing is what makes the book unique. A man does this and that, describes what is, objectively, and goes about his life. He is detached, content, accepting, in touch with life as it is and doesn't taint existence with novel interpretations. Rather, he doesn't interpret anything. He is never swayed by what he views as pointless, although he does look for reason in what others are passionate about. He admits that he has considered being less honest to appease others, but decides against doing so.
I read this book because I am interested in existentialism. I found that it not only helped me understand the philosophical movement better, but also helped me justify my ideas. As a person who has been an atheist and a skeptic her entire life, usually told that I am cold and detached, and that being so isn't good, reading this book (and recommending it to others) has helped me feel that my logic makes sense, and is shared by others after all.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who values rationality, objectivity, simplicity, and loathes senseless novelty.
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2: interesting
I am writing my report about a book called The Strangers. The Strangers setting is based a long time ago in France and it is narrated by Monsieur Maersault, reflecting on the end of his life. He is a man who keeps to himself and rarely shows emotion or that he cares about anyone or anything except Marie, and he lives in an apartment-like complex where he keeps to himself and has a feeling he is being followed. His close friends are Raymond, Mason and Marie. Maersault also has a friend, Secile, who owns a neighborhood restaurant. One day during the story Marie and Maersault were invited to Mason's house for a party. Mason owns a large house that has a large beach in the backyard. During the party, Raymond and Maursault walked down the beach, noticing two men had been following them, armed with knives. After they see this they returned back to Mason's. Later that day, Maersault goes back to the beach alone with a gun to see if the two men were still there. Sure enough the men were still there and as they approached each other Maersault made his fatal mistake. Maersault had shot the man dead. After this his life took a downward spiral until the end. He had to go to court, stay in jail, and couldn't be with Marie. After all this, he still had one more chance to prove he wasn't a monster to all the people, and to show his crime. Instead of proving them wrong, he spoke his mind and the truth and that was it. Nobody wanted to deal with him anymore so the court sentenced him to be executed. Inside Maersault was really sad but he still did not show it. Even though he knew his fate he didn't fear it. He managed to not care even though he saw the guillotine that was going to take his head. That was the end. I enjoyed this book because it was very interesting and I wanted to see what would happen to Maersault next.
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3: Shocking in its Simplicity
The Stranger is one of those nobel-prize-winnnig books you see mentioned every now and then, but you don't know if you'll really ever read it yourself. It's such a simple story, but it's so profound and thought-provoking. Basically, a guy kills another guy in self defense and goes to trial over it. That's really all there is to the story. But what makes it so thought-provoking is the personality of the guy. He sends his mother to a nursing home, doesn't cry at her funeral, smokes a cigarette and drinks a cup of coffee immediately after the funeral, and gets a new girl friend the day after the funeral. This makes him suspect. The mob thinks that maybe he has no feelings. They think that maybe he's an awful man that isn't fit to be in public. They think that maybe the murder wasn't in self-defense after all. It's scary to me that people could think a man is a callous monster just based on the feelings a guy did or didn't have for their mother. What's the real line between civilized and savage? Is a person not civilized just because they are less demonstrative about their emotions than most people? Is it a crime to sleep with a girl you just met just because your mother was put in the ground the day before? It's just shocking to see how small of a thing can demonize a person in the eyes of a mob. I think, however, that the most shocking thing to me about this book was to realize that in 1942 France, the death penalty was still beheading by guillotine.
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4: One of the best books ever written.
I was told by a really good friend of mine to read this book. Looking in a bookstore on vacation, I came across it. It was cheap so I bought it, not really knowing anything about the story or what I was getting into. But I trust my friend's judgment, so I went ahead and read all of 'The Stranger' this afternoon. WOW is all I can say. The language and storytelling is so simple, so effective, that I got wrapped up in the world that Camus was engaging me in.
It reads like Salinger's 'The Catcher in the Rye', at least in my opinion. He tells the story so clearly. It's one of the most concise books I've ever read. It is quite depressing, but you oddly feel sorry for, and relate to the main character. I feel an odd sense of hope after reading it, and for people that hated it, I can't see what they're talking about. The story will engulf you and not let go until the end. Highly recommended!
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5: American translation brings out stylistic subtleties
(This is a review of the Matthew Ward translation; black an dwhite cover)
This is a newish translation, done by an American rather than the British translation that had previously been the only English version of this French classic. It seems Camus was heavily influenced by American literature of the period -- Hemmingway, Faulkner and others -- and had written The Stranger, the first half especially, to reflect those stylistic sensibilities. The translator argues in his forward that much of that was lost in the British translation. And so here, it is restored.
The result is a matter-of-fact tone more in keeping with our unlikable protagonist, the distant, somewhat bitter Meursault. His almost emotionless life and anti-social tone are stark and ugly, traits that drag him beneath the waves when he is put on trial for murder. As always, The Stranger is compelling reading, but also frustrating, because it is so impossible to care for the main character in the final chapters.
Camus' timeless classic remains as essential today as it was when released, while this new translation gets us a bit closer to the stylistic approach he allegedly wanted. Essential reading.
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