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.

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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.

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

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-29T14:11:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_8947_Tese doutorado Angela Binda - versão final.pdf: 1339129 bytes, checksum: 0da5a74d7cda130ee46b750242cdcf15 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-26 / Esta pesquisa investiga a influência do sol, e da natureza em geral, no comportamento dos protagonistas de Létranger e Noces, de Albert Camus. Estabelece uma relação entre homem e natureza, tomando como ponto de partida o conceito do absurdo da vida humana, sentimento que leva os personagens do escritor franco-argelino a se locomover em um mundo sem sentido cuja única certeza é a morte. Em seguida, propõe um estudo a respeito de alguns aspectos da infância do escritor, como a pobreza e a luz mediterrânea, fatores que se mostraram relevantes para a literatura de Albert Camus. Por fim, analisa o papel ambíguo que a natureza desempenha no contexto ficcional de Létranger e Noces, revelando-se como motivo ora de contentamento, ora de transtorno para os personagens dessas obras. / Cette recherche examine l'influence du soleil, et de la nature en général, sur la conduite des protagonistes de L'étranger et Noces, d‘Albert Camus. Établit un rapport entre l'homme et la nature, en prenant comme point de départ le concept de l'absurdité de la vie humaine, sentiment qui mènent les personnages de l'écrivain français-algérien à se déplacer dans un monde sans sens dont la seule certitude est la mort. Ensuite propose une étude sur certains aspects de l'enfance de l'écrivain, comme la pauvreté et la lumière méditerranée, des facteurs qui y apparaissaient comme pertinents pour la littérature d'Albert Camus. Enfin, analyse le rôle ambigu que joue la nature dans le contexte fictionnel de L'étranger et Noces, en se révélant comme raison tantôt de contentement, tantôt de trouble pour les personnages de ces œuvres.

Au lendemain de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale, Camus comptait parmi les intellectuels engagés qui avaient défendu les droits de l'homme pendant l'Occupation allemande. Camus écrivit des articles pour le journal Combat, dans lesquels il incitait le peuple français à résister collectivement contre les forces de l'ennemi. Témoignent également de son engagement, les quatre Lettres à un ami allemand, écrites pendant l'Occupation, et dans lesquelles il justifie les raisons de son engagement dans la Résistance. Après avoir documenté l'histoire de la Résistance en France, l'objectif du présent mémoire est de procéder à une analyse sémiotique des valeurs défendues par Camus dans ses articles tirés de Combat et dans ses lettres publiées dans le recueil Lettres à un ami allemand. Dans un deuxième temps, le mémoire interroge la possible mise en fiction de ces mêmes valeurs dans son oeuvre romanesque La Peste. Il s'agit d'examiner, par le moyen d'une analyse sémiotique, les valeurs véhiculées par le /faire/ des différents personnages.

Partie créative : La chambre Un homme se réveille dans une chambre qui n'est pas la sienne. On l'a enfermé, mais il ignore pour quelle raison. Tout ce qu'il sait, c'est qu'il a été condamné à écrire. Pour tout contact, il reçoit les visites d'une femme qui entre à l'heure des repas pour lui délivrer sa pitance. À travers les discussions avec cette dernière ainsi que des retours en arrière sur sa jeunesse et sur les moments qui ont précédé son incarcération, il tentera de mettre au jour les raisons de son enfermement. / Partie reflexive : La chambre : entre littérature et philosophie La partie reflexive de ce mémoire sera guidée par l'interrogation suivante : quelle différence y a-t-il entre les langages littéraire et philosophique ? Pour y répondre, nous procéderons à une comparaison de deux oeuvres d'Albert Camus : L'étranger et Le Mythe de Sisyphe. Nous partirons de l'hypothèse de Sartre, laquelle stipule que ces deux oeuvres tiennent le même propos sur l'homme absurde, la première exprimant ce propos de façon littéraire tandis que la seconde l'exprimerait de façon philosophique. Notre comparaison nous mènera à dégager des caractéristiques propres à chacun des deux langages, ce qui nous permettra par la suite de réfléchir à la partie créative du présent mémoire, plus précisément de poser la question suivante : quelle est la valeur littéraire - et non philosophique - de La chambre ?