Introduction to The Stranger
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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???
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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.
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Symbolism
Imagery
Mood vs. Tone
Theme
Foil
Direct Characterization
Indirect Characterization
Narrator
Translation
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“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!
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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.
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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?
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.
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Harmon & Holman
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Fatalism: 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).
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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.
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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.
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.
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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 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?
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 oneparagraph 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.
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