The Plague – Albert Camus

Chat Questions:

Tuesday, March 24, 2020; 7:00–8:00 PM EST

• WU: Please introduce yourself. Tell us if you’ve read “The Plague” before. And if you’re not reading in French, whose translation are you currently reading: Stuart Gilbert or Robin Buss? #CanonChat

• Q1: A recent headline read “Coronavirus sees sales of Camus's 'The Plague' soar.” Other novels with pandemic plots have seen the same trend. Why are many drawn to reading fictional accounts of a pandemic while we’re in the middle of one ourselves? #CanonChat

• Q2: Why do you think Camus chose to set “The Plague” in the real location of Oran, and why in the first sentence of his novel does he have his narrator describe the narrative as a chronicle? #CanonChat

• Q3: In Chapter 5, the narrator states that “There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.” What does this fact tell us about human nature? #CanonChat

• Q4: The Prefect, Castle, Richard, and even Rieux all withhold information from others. Why would leaders delay a result that seems all but inevitable? #CanonChat

• Q5: Some critics have read the novel as a metaphoric tale about the Nazi occupation of France while another recent critic reads it as a study of terrorism. What do you make of these comparisons? Can you offer another metaphor? #CanonChat 

• Q6: Camus identified with the philosophy of absurdism which holds that our universe is absurd and meaningless. Do we see any elements of this philosophy in Part I? #CanonChat

Tuesday, March 31, 2020; 7:00–8:00 PM EST

• WU: Please (re)introduce yourself. If you didn’t join us last week, tell us if you’ve read “The Plague” before. And if you’re not reading in French, whose translation are you currently reading: Stuart Gilbert or Robin Buss? Don’t forget to use the hashtag #CanonChat

• Q1: Notice the use of the first person plural pronouns in the opening paragraph of Part Two. What are some observations you’ve noticed about the narrator of the novel? #CanonChat

• Q2: The narrator laments that “even the small satisfaction of writing letters was denied us.” How are we in a better position today than the residents of Oran are in the novel? #CanonChat

• Q3: Rambert tells Rieux that “the public welfare is merely the sum total of the private welfares of each of us.” Do you agree with Rambert’s view? #CanonChat

• Q4: These parts of the book are chock full of irony. Can you share an example? Do you find irony comforting in times like these? #CanonChat

• Q5: We’re told that the residents’ “first reaction, for instance, was to abuse the authorities.” We are seeing the same today during the Coronavirus pandemic. What makes this reaction understandable? Is it even possible for authorities to avoid criticism? #CanonChat

• Q6: Share a line or two or a detail from the novel that you find particularly meaningful. #CanonChat

• Q7: Nominate a book for our next read. We’ll vote during our final chat. #CanonChat

Tuesday, April 7, 2020; 7:00–8:00 PM EST

• WU: Share your reaction to the conversation starter here: https://t.co/R59urEJSIn?amp=1 Was your prediction accurate? Were you surprised by the ending? #CanonChat

• Q1: Why do you think Rieux disguises the fact that he is the narrator? Does the revelation change how you perceive him? #CanonChat

• Q2: How does fear change people? Do you think we will have changed having lived through this pandemic? #CanonChat

• Q3: Camus objected when readers classified “The Plague” as an existentialist novel. Why might Camus have objected to this characterization of his book? In other words, how is this perhaps not an existentialist novel? #CanonChat

• Q4: Are there any heroes in the novel? Does “The Plague” attempt at all to argue for humanity’s goodness? #CanonChat

• Q5: Liesl Schillinger recently wrote for LitHub: “We can do our work remotely to avoid infecting others or being infected; we can shun parties, concerts and restaurants... But for how long? Camus knew the answer: we can’t know.” As more time passes, are you finding isolation easier or harder to accept? #CanonChat

• Q6: Final question: Did you enjoy the novel? Why or why not? #CanonChat