Thesis (doctoral)--Université de Paris 7 Denis Diderot, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 507-523) and index.

Zugl.: Dipl.-arb.

Diss.--Univ. of Wisconsin, 1990? / Bibliogr. p. 324-333. Index.

The absurd is a widespread term to describe literature today and in this essay I am interested in what parts of a literary text that can be defined as absurd. With help from the French-Algerian writer Albert Camus definition of the absurd in The Myth of Sisyphus (1942) and the absurd parts in his novel The Stranger (1942) I will examine the absurd in two of the Swedish writer Jonas Karlsson’s short stories. It is a phenomenological study of the short stories "Fakturan" and "Högläsning 2" that can be found in Spelreglerna (2011). The phenomenological reading consists people’s experiences and what is happening in their consciousness before, during and after experiencing it. Camus description of the absurd is the foundation for my analysis of Karlsson. Karlsson’s short stories have interesting similarities with Camus description of the absurd, which is fascinating because of their different backgrounds. My aim with the essay is to analyze the absurd in Karlsson’s short stories, both through parallels to Camus and without.

In Haushofers Roman Die Wand werden die Augen auffällig betont und der Sehvorgang ausführlich geschildert. Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Fragen: Wie und wo wird das Augenmotiv im Roman betont? Welche Funktionen haben die vielen Schilderungen von Augen und Schauen? Und welche Themen können dadurch behandelt werden? Dies wird durch ausgewählte Szenen und Textabschnitte diskutiert. Meine kurze Präsentation von dem Motiv Augen und Schauen in der Literaturgeschichte dient in diesem Aufsatz als ein theoretischer Grund.

The aim of this thesis is to introduce a renowned French author Albert Camus and subsequently develop my own conclusion on one of his major works - The Stranger (1942). In the first part I introduce the personality of Albert Camus's in the context of philosophical history, literature and drama. I aim to explain the background of his life in the first part of the 20th century, particularly the influence of his origin in Algiers, at that time politically and culturally dominated by the French, in contrast with later residence in France itself. These influences promoted the principle of individuality in the work of Albert Camus and clearly directed him to his own interpretation of literary expression and existentialism. Further I outline the basic principles of this philosophy and I present his most important literary and dramatic works. More specifically I deal with the analysis of the novel The Stranger itself. The topic of next chapter is the presentation of Camus's selected work on the Czech as well as international stages and their specifications. In brief mention I present film adaptations as well. The second part goes in to analysing my own conclusions of The Stranger with a particular attention to the set design. This is closely related to the practical work of the thesis - designs of chosen scenes and scale models are included in the photographic documentation. I aim to explain how I use the actual text of the novel whilst adjusting its structure in relation to the stage design. Then I analyze in detail the various dramatic situations and scenes in terms of set design solutions. In short I present technical and lighting solutions of this production. Conclusion of this thesis refers to the contribution of Camus's work and its influence on the art scene of the 20th century.

Cette étude évalue les méthodes de communication de la dévotion à travers des fictions moralisatrices de Jean-Pierre Camus, évêque de Belley (1584-1652). Notre analyse s’est faite sous l’angle des domestiques et du rôle moral qui leur est attribué dans l’œuvre de l’auteur. Nous y comparons les responsabilités morales que l’évêque donnait aux domestiques avec les devoirs accordés à ces derniers par les auteurs de manuels de domesticité. Ce procédé nous a permis d’observer les méthodes utilisées pour transmettre le message de la Contre-Réforme dans le cadre plus précis de la responsabilité morale des domestiques. Cette étude s’intègre à l’histoire de la communication des idées religieuses puisque nous observons les moyens utilisés par Camus et les moralistes pour transmettre leur message, tout en évaluant comment la fiction s’intègre dans cette communication.

Although the theme of madness has been of concern to writers of all ages, there is a perceptible change in the madness of the dramatic character of the twentieth century from that of the past. This thesis is an attempt to analyse that phenomenon as it is manifested in a number of characters of twentieth century drama. The introduction contains a brief outline of the history of madness in society, and a general discussion as to how it is reflected in literature, from Biblical times to the present. It is found that writers make little attempt to explain the madness of a literary character, other than by attributing to him specific personal reasons for his behaviour; i.e. disappointment in love. The characters of twentieth century drama however, are found to be not "mad" in the same way; their madness is linked to their relationship with the rest of society. Thus, a character who considers the rest of society mad, and acts in a way which counteracts that society, is considered mad by those around him. However, to the audience or reader, who are made to recognize the motives for his behaviour, the character is not necessarily mad, and in fact it may be, the playwright implies, that the people who accept the values of the society as absolute who are "mad." By discussing principally "madmen" of four recent dramas: Romulus der Große (1956) and Die Physiker (I962) by Friedrich Düirrenmatt, Graf Öderland (final version 196l) by Max Frisch, and Albert Camus' Caligula (1944), as well as making peripheral references to other dramas in the Conclusion, definite patterns of behaviour emerge. The "madman" is judged in ways which are not understood by his contemporaries. He is generally more intelligent, more perceptive than the other members of his society, and has perceived a truth which is hidden from others. In revolting against a society whose values he cannot accept, he is making what he considers a positive step towards improving in some way the quality of life. (In this respect he is perhaps different from "madmen" of previous literature who are presented as having chosen to opt out.) In each case the revolt fails, leading to chaos or a reimposition of the old system. Despite the failure of the revolt to achieve permanent change, each hero is found to be an idealist oblivious to the reality around him rather than a "madman." The breakdown of traditionally accepted norms such as religion, has meant that in the twentieth century there are no absolute standards of behaviour. Sanity thus becomes a relative concept. This thesis attempts to explore that nebulous and shifting area between madness and sanity as it is reflected in modern drama. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

A partir de létablissement dune transcription diplomatique du manuscrit du roman inachevé Le Premier Homme dAlbert Camus, lobjectif de cette thèse est de proposer une lecture du processus de création en ayant par guide une image camusienne : celle de la rosée du matin qui se dépose sur les ruines qui condense lidée de la recherche, dun point de vue personnel mais aussi esthétique, dun équilibre profond entre le passé et le présent, lancien et le nouveau, entre le désir davancer et le besoin du retour, entre le mouvement dinnovation et celui de reprise. Dabord, notre but est de montrer que depuis les années cinquante, Camus rêve dun renouvellement comme homme et comme artiste, mais cette envie dune vie nouvelle nest au fond quune envie de retour aux premières années et aux premiers écrits sur lesquels il veut jeter une lumière neuve. En effet, cest lidée dun nouveau roman sur la « Recherche du père » que lui permet de reprendre ses premières notes et ses écrits de jeunesse sur « Lenfance pauvre ». De cette façon, le début et la fin loeuvre camusienne sont profondément liés, Le Premier Homme peut être compris comme un grand projet décriture, dont la période de gestation sest prolongée pendant vingt ans. Cette reprise ne serait pas possible que par le mûrissement de Camus comme artiste, qui à travers létablissement dune théorie du roman à lui, arrive à trouver léquilibre, absent au début, entre une oeuvre qui se nourrit de son expérience personnelle et lenvie de créer un univers fictionnel. Dans cet apprentissage de lécrivain, le patronage de Proust et Tolstoï a été fondamental aussi pour trouver léquilibre entre le passé personnel et historique et loeuvre littéraire dont lécriture dépose une fraiche rosée sur les ruines. / Partindo do estabelecimento de uma transcrição diplomática do manuscrito do romance inacabado Le Premier Homme de Albert Camus, o objetivo desta tese é propor uma leitura do processo de criação tendo por guia uma imagem camusiana: a do orvalho da manhã que se deposita sobre as ruínas, que condensa a ideia de uma busca, ao mesmo tempo pessoal e estética, de um equilíbrio profundo entre o passado e o presente, o antigo e o novo, entre o desejo de avançar e a necessidade do retorno, entre o movimento de inovação e o de retomada. Primeiramente, nosso objetivo é mostrar que desde os anos cinquenta Camus sonha com uma renovação como homem e como artista, mas este desejo de uma vida nova é no fundo um desejo de retornar aos primeiros anos de sua vida e aos primeiros escritos lançando sobre eles uma nova luz. Precisamente, é a ideia de um novo romance sobre a Busca do Pai que lhe permite de retomar suas primeiras notas e seus primeiros escritos sobre a Infância Pobre. Desta maneira, o começo e o fim da obra camusiana estão profundamente ligados: O Primeiro Homem pode ser compreendido como um grande projeto de escrita, cujo período de gestação se estendeu por vinte anos. Esta retomada, entretanto, só se tornou possível por meio do amadurecimento do escritor, que através do estabelecimento de uma teoria romance própria, consegue encontrar o equilíbrio, ausente no início, entre uma obra que se alimenta de sua experiência pessoal e o desejo de criar um universo ficcional. Neste aprendizado do escritor, os modelos de Proust e Tolstoi foram fundamentais para encontrar o equilíbrio entre o passado pessoal e histórico e a obra literária cuja escrita deposita um fresco orvalho sobre essas ruínas.

This essay explores how the fictional portrayals of man-before-death in Albert Camus’ The Plague can convey insights related to studies in world views. Its thesis argues that the relationship between the author, the text and the reader provides a dialogue where the author can transmit his or her ideas to the reader whom is given a possibility of interpreting the text in accordance with his or her context. The thesis was conducted by organising a close-reading of three scenes from The Plague by an allegorical type of interpretation (Quadriga) in order to create a dialogue between the novel and contemporary studies of world views and the works of Albert Camus. Altogether, this thesis contributes to show how The Plague’s depictions of death can be used as a world-view document as well as demonstrating how its reader can use it to cope with scenarios in modern society.