The Plague | 
 enlarge | Authors: Albert Camus, Stuart Gilbert
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  152 reviews
Sales Rank: 1977
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8
ISBN: 0679720219
Dewey Decimal Number: 843.914
EAN: 9780679720218
ASIN: 0679720219
Publication Date: May 7, 1991
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Standard shipping arrives within 6-8 business days. This is the textbook only unless otherwise noted. Pages Clean!
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The Nobel prize-winning Albert Camus, who died in 1960, could not have known how grimly current his existentialist novel of epidemic and death would remain. Set in Algeria, in northern Africa, The Plague is a powerful study of human life and its meaning in the face of a deadly virus that sweeps dispassionately through the city, taking a vast percentage of the population with it.
Product Description
A haunting tale of human resilience in the face of unrelieved horror, Camus' novel about a bubonic plague ravaging the people of a North African coastal town is a classic of twentieth-century literature.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 147 more reviews...
 Find meaning in a meaningless existence / Camus is one cool cat July 27, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
After reading The Stranger and thoroughly enjoying it, I decided to purchase The Plague, The Fall, Exile and the Kingdom, and Selected Essays (Everyman's Library), and have just got done reading The Plague. Frankly, this review begins with a summary of Camus' philosophical outlook; I find these particularly relevant to a decision whether or not to purchase one of his books, and I discuss this relevance below. After that, I talk about the plot and what the bulk of the book is actually about. Finally, I add a few thoughts and opinions of my own, and comment on what edition, if any, one should buy.
To an extent, all of Camus' novels are vehicles for his philosophy. Camus' philosophy begins with a simple idea, that life is absurd. Camus did not believe in God; did not believe human actions hold any ultimate higher meaning; and thought "death would undermine the value of anything that precedes it." From this, Camus drew that life was "absurd." In The Stranger, Camus illustrates this principle of the absurd. Only towards the end of The Stranger does Camus bring up another point in his worldview, and that is, that life is worth living. In The Plague, Camus introduces a concept he called "Revolt"; that is, revolting against the absurdity and meaningless of existence. It seems like an oxymoron, but here Camus wants to try to make sense of an absurd life.
There you have a brief overview of Camus' philosophical ideas. In the Plague, Camus particularly criticizes the Catholic Church. If you find Camus' non-faith to be offensive, then I suggest you not read his books. With an open mind, however, it is likely you will find much said by Camus that is true. Also, if you want a straight and simple story as opposed to Camus' philosophical ideal laced story, then you might look elsewhere. Still, read the rest of my review. You may find the plot, which I will discuss next, is something that interests you regardless of philosophy.
The city of Oran is quarantined due to the outbreak of a deadly plague. No one is allowed to leave or enter. The narrative focuses on a handful of people living in the quarantined city, as well as on the general conditions of life in Oran while the plague wreaks havoc. Actually, the native begins just before the plot, and ends shortly after the quarantine is lifted. The characters discuss life during plague conditions. Their activities range from writing a book, to trying to escape, to discussing football, above all, the main focus is given to combating the plague. About the Oran--bureaucracy, religion, burial procedures, and quarantine conditions are popular plot points, as is attempting to define the general outlook of the populous during the hard times of Plague infestation. One of his common themes is separation from a loved one.
I hope I have been of some help. Personally, I find Camus' ideas to be captivating. I loved the Stranger and the Plague, and look forward to reading more of his books soon. Although the Plague reaches farther than the Stranger, I cannot conclude that it is the better of the two novels. Personally, I felt Stranger to be more to my liking; Stranger felt more natural and therefore more complete as a novel; whereas the people, places, and events of The Plague felt constructed as if only for novelistic purposes.
I strongly suggest you at least look at this The Plague, The Fall, Exile and the Kingdom, and Selected Essays (Everyman's Library) before you buy the Plague, or any other work by Albert Camus. Thought it is Five Dollars more expensive, it includes 4 books and 2 essays (The Plague, The Fall, Exile, Myth of Sisyphus, and Reflections on the Guillotine) and a helpfull introduction from David Bellos. It draws from two translators (Gilbert and O'Brien) and has a durrable cloth bound frame that should outlast any paperback.
 talk about a depression attack July 22, 2008
0 out of 6 found this review helpful
if you like to feel depressed, then by all means read this book....it is dark and imaginary smells are those of death....yuk....totally discusting.
Tragically relevant June 29, 2008
In light of the constant scare of chemical warfare we are faced with in this age where even the barbarians in the middle east have access to technology, this book still has much to offer.
There is one major theme in this novel and that is stay maintain a level head. Many of the casualties in the story are victimized by their own fear and irrational actions. From the rushed and fatal antidote to the brutallity inside the quarantined city.
This book also holds relevence to the fear that had gripped society in the 80's with the AIDS scare.
Camus ...interesting as always... June 19, 2008
The Plague is another of Camus's magnificently constructed plots, a story created as a way to present his philosophy of life and existence.
The novel is about a plague that sweeps the Algerian city of Oran. Characters deal with the plague and the imprisonment they face because of the disease in different ways, but all characters mature greatly along the way. Interestingly, the ethical, noble, and charismatic characters like Dr. Rieux and Tarrou-just like Camus-are atheist. Both characters think all humans are bound up with a destiny of death, and that their existence has no higher spiritual dimension.
Another interesting transformation that Camus portrays is the religious point of view presented through Father Paneloux, who's explanation of the plague at the beginning was a punishment sent from God to the people of Oran for their sins, but when Father Paneloux sees innocent children are suffering, Paneloux's explanation of the plague changes to say it is a possible divine test from god of people's faith. Paneloux reaction when he got the disease was very predictable as a religious man. Even though, Camus always rejected religion, the way he dealt with Paneloux ending shows a tremendous respect to what humans choose to believe.
The process of maturity transforms each character based on their ethics and morals. Again, Camus has an outstanding way of analyzing humans and existence.
Not to ruin the pleasure of finding out; but the reader might enjoy the special reflections of Camus's own understanding of people on the development of Raymond Rambert, Joseph Grand, and Jean Tarrou. At the end of the novel Dr. Rieux, the narrator, presents a brilliant summary about human suffering and their ability to forget or ignore life's absurdity.
beautiful May 30, 2008
First, this text is not for anyone looking for fast-moving action. It can move very slowly at times as Camus often takes several pages to describe the mundane scenery. There's no real plot as one would expect in a novel; but rather, the story moves slowly from the onset of the plague to its end, with detailed descriptions of a few of the characters and (less-than-shocking) descriptions of people's suffering.
But the reason I give this text five stars is for its beautiful language. It's not meant to be a fast-paced action-packed novel, but rather an ethnographic looks at humanity. I can only imagine what the original French might sound like, since the translation itself is already absolutely chilling. Take, for example, "...they drifted through life rather than lived, the prey of aimless days and sterile memories, like wandering shadows that could have acquired substance only by consenting to root themselves in the solid earth of their distress" (73). Camus is a genius for metaphors, and brilliantly employs in this text to illustrate some of his most prominent existential and absurdist thoughts.
An excellent read.
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