The Stranger (Everyman's Library)

Deeply Insightful...and a quick read too!

For those who don't anything about Albert Camus's philosophy of Absurdism or Existentialism in general, I highly recommend you read a little bit about it before you read this book, because first time readers might be put off by the 'life is meaningless' philosophy of the character. The book is the a fascinating character-study of a man who completely embodies the ideas Absurdism and how he lives his life according to it. There are plenty of philosophical metaphors and deeply insightful arguements inside the book (especially in the end) which ultimately makes the book intriguing because its ideas drawn you in.

Absurdist literature

Albert Camus created his own philosophy similar to Jean-Paul Sartre's Existentialism (see Being and Nothingness) and called it Absurdism. It is the belief that nothing can explain or rationalize human existence. We exist in a meaningless, irrational universe and any search for order is useless. Sounds like a downer, but what Camus uses his book to convey is the liberty that can come of embracing his philosophy, as occurs with Mersault when at the very end he accepts and embraces his own execution along with the Absurdist philosophy and finds himself uplifted and spiritually free.

The Stranger context

The book contains harsh symbolisim which is hard to convey in a similar sense of personification without the direct correlation of the presiding facts shown in the novel.

Outstanding

This book is excellent! When reading this book you will not want to put it down and even if you do you will only find yourself picking it right back up again. this book made me realize how imprtant my family and friends are but yet at the same time made me see that not everyone feels the same about their relatives. If I were asked would I read this book again the answer would without any doubt be yes. Camus opens the readers eyes to how different people believe in different topics and how some are stronger then others beliefs. They are in fact the ones that make this world go around because they are not ashamed to tell how they feel about anything and explain why they feel that way. When Camus wrote this book he did a supurb job!!!

Excellent quick read

This book is fantastic because it does not require too much of an investment in time or energy. It is a fantastic introduction to existentialism and the new American translation gives the book's ideas simplicity.

NONE

This is a really great book, honestly for those of you thinking that this book is not great, perhaps you do not have the intelligence to understand it. If you read the words and actually understand them, you will find irony, just as one would find irony in fall...ah, what beautiful death.

A life changing event

I am a 16 year old male, i have just read this book in my World Liturature class and I am now changed as a PERSON. It has changed my outlook on LIFE itself. From the first sentance to the last couple of pages, it is by definition a very good book endeed.

extraordinary

though this particular translation isn't my favorite, it makes for good reading. the stranger is an odd little piece of work and i thank Camus for creating it. this novel brings up some interesting questions about life, philosophy, and ourselves within society. after reading it a few times, i almost feel a kinship with meursault. give it a try. it can't hurt.

UNIVERSAL

There is one phrase which is often used in book reviews which unfortunately has been rendered meaningless by overuse. However, it is the only phrase which justifies my feelings about 'The Stranger,' and does so in a simple way which I believe would have suited Meursault. That phrase is, 'Everyone should read it!' The reason why I believe so strongly that this is true is that 'The Stranger' raises moral and ethical questions for society which are (and will always remain) relevant and important. For example, does existence have inherent meaning? Is there a greater force, such as God, who determines our respective paths, or must we find meaning as individuals? If there is in fact no meaning to life, how does one create it? The book also raised less esoteric questions, such as: How well does the court system function? This type of question can't be discussed too much here for fear of belying the end of the novel. In closing, whether or not you find meaning in life, you will find meaning in 'The Stranger.' That is to say, no matter what theology you adhere to, you will find the novel interesting. However, I must say that our experience as an English class with the novel probably will be quite different from most of yours- we had the opportunity to engage ourselves in intense classroom discussion about the prior questions. The book itself is actually rather dry, and I'm not sure what the experience would be like without discussion opportunities. You will most likely enjoy 'The Stranger' better if you belong to a book club. Teachers- I recommend it as a book to assign to your classes, especially if you have a lot of vocal people from diverse backgrounds in your class

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