---

 

Albert Camus' The Plague

Discussion Led by Julie Segedy

Albert Camus: The Plague  -  ASSIGNMENT SHEET

Complete, typed draft due Monday, April 26

Final paper due Friday, April 30

Page range:  4-6 pages, typed in 10- or 12-pt font

Note: Because we are nearing the end of the third semester in ISLS, I expect this paper to showcase the progress you’ve made as a thinker and a writer. Thus, conformance to the structural, stylistic, and mechanical components of academic papers is expected. Please include a Work Cited page at the end.

PAPER TOPICS:

1. Character analysis: Select one character to fully describe and analyze. Why is he so important to the novel?

2. Describe and analyze Rieux’ relationship with Tarrou, Rambert, and Grand. What do his friendships with these men reveal about Rieux as a person?

3.  How do the actions of Tarrou and Rieux prove that they live by their asserted moral code?

4.  Select one of the major themes of the novel—e.g., exile, suffering, “abstraction,” or freedom. Trace that theme throughout the novel and come to a judgment about its significance to the book.

5. Analyze Camus’ treatment of suffering, death, and God in The Plague.

6. Define Existentialism in your own words, and then explain how, why, and in what ways—and to what extent-- The Plague reflects that philosophy.

7. Select one passage (or quotation) from the novel that best captures the meaning and essence of the book. Explicate that passage, and explain why it is so central to the overall message.

If you prefer to develop a topic of your own, be sure to check with your tutor before beginning to write your paper!

Selected Online Resources:

Wyatt, Christopher (2004) Albert Camus. Tameri Publications. http://www.tameri.com/csw/exist/camus.asp

Howard, Adam (2002) E's Not Quite Dead Yet: Existentialism and The Plague http://www.byzantinecommunications.com/adamhoward/homework/highschool/camus.html