THE PLAGUE

After recording the particulars of Oranian burials in a complete chapter, in fact in a complete section, Rieux now takes up the situation of those who were living during the period of lethargy. The first half of Chapter 19 describes more fully the drugged state of general despondency, and brings […]

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Part III consists of only one chapter — a short, intense chronicle of the crisis weeks in Oran, the time when two natural powers — the plague’s rising fever and the midsummer sun-incinerate the city’s prisoners. No longer is there active revolt. The panic-generated energy of Part 11 is gone. […]

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Throughout Part I, there is a sense of urgency and frustration. Death darkens the pages and we are among the few to realize what is happening as the toll increases. The frustration, however, is not wholly a life and death matter. Now, besides lives, there are values which are being […]

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The tragedy of a plague is announced in the book’s title. It is also underscored in the first chapter. This technique, it is worth noting, is somewhat similar to that of a Greek tragedy. Here also we know in advance the horrible fate in store for the characters, and we […]

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Dr. Bernard Rieux The surgeon — narrator of The Plague. Jean Tarrou The best friend of Rieux. His notebooks are used as part of the chronicle. Father Paneloux A priest in Oran. Raymond Rambert A Paris journalist trapped in Oran. Joseph Grand A petty official, also a writer. Cottard A […]

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Albert Camus was born November 7, 1913, and reared in Algeria, a country exposed to the blistering African sun and the plain of the Mediterranean sea. These roots — the sun and the sea — have spread into all of Camus’ writings — the novels, the plays, and the essays. […]

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