According to postcolonial theory, postcolonial literature tends to depict non-Westerners – the native Other – as a homogenous mass, portrayed as carrying all the dark human traits. The Other is often represented as, for instance, being exotic, violent, hostile and mysterious, and either stands in opposition to, or is portrayed as being completely different from the Westerner. With postcolonial theory as a background, this study is a close-reading analysis and comparison of Albert Camus’ The Stranger (1942), which takes place in a colonial Algeria, and J.M. Coetzee’s Disgrace (1999), which is set in postcolonial South Africa. The novels have been analysed in terms of representation of the Other, as well as the power relations and hierarchy between Westerners and natives, in order to see if these aspects are portrayed differently due to the fact that one novel is written pre-independence and the other post-independence. The results show that the representation of the Other is in accordance with postcolonial theory, in both novels. The natives are exoticised, portrayed as violent and mysterious in a hostile manner, and the plot is viewed from the perspective of the Western, white male protagonist. However, the power relations differ; in The Stranger, the Westerners are definitely superior, whereas in Disgrace, some of the characters still consider themselves to be superior, but their power has declined – the natives strike back, leaving the white population with a choice: to comply to the new order, or to find themselves in a state of disgrace.

No description available.

Literary criticism has traditionally associated the work of Albert Camus with a very specific conception of literature. His more "philosphical" works (namely, his essays) are thus seen as demonstrations of the "message" that his truly literary works seek to transmit. As such, Le Mythe de Sisyphe and L'Homme revolte are considered to provide the driving themes (l'Absurde and la Revolte) of the author's fictive writings. This image (that of the "romancier a message") becomes problematic, however, in face of Camus' intransigent refusal to surrender to any form of dogma. Indeed, for the author, this possibility of surrender constitutes the greatest threat to la Revolte, representing its potential capitulation into Revolution and Terror. We believe that this notion of literature as a vehicle for philosophical beliefs is precisely the concept against which Camus was fighting. / Through the theme of "le juste", or more specifically the question of how we know what is just, Camus challenges this idea of literature and the act of writing. By exposing the mechanisms of self-justification underlying all universal values (and hence of all transcendental "truths" upon which they are necessarily based) the writer reveals them to be social and discursive constructs which permit and perpetuate the imposition of norms in a given domaine, including that of literature. This study proposes to examine Camus' rapport with this element of self-justification in literature, and the ways in which he calls the latter into question.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Delaware, 2007. / Principal faculty advisor: Elaine B. Safer, Dept. of English. Includes bibliographical references.

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

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.