Time in The Stranger by Camus
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2021
- Time in The Stranger
The Stranger by Albert Camus was published in 1942 in its original French, and four years later, in English. With over ten million readers since its publication, it is one of the most recognized works of existential fiction, along with Sartre’s Nausea. The Stranger tells the story of Meursault, who his convicted and sentenced for a murder. Camus uses this character to demonstrate what he called “the absurd man,” someone who has recognized the absurdity of human existence and accepts this belief to the death. In today’s video we explore how the concept of time plays a significant roll in The Stranger, and how Camus used time as a tool to investigate the psychological workings of the antihero, Meursault.
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Alice Kaplan’s “Looking for the Stranger”
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Oliver Gloag’s Introduction
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Albert Camus’s collected essays
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I think that even though we are condemned to die, the choices each of us make are more important than an execution. I believe it’s the choices that we make while we are living that cause us to become who we are. Even in death people remember, “She was a dancer. He chose to be a professor.” Death just puts an end on any more that we could choose to be.
That's a good way of looking at death.
Oh jeez, I didn't see this until now! And yes! That is a good point, thank you, Sam! And yes, you are absolutely right! Death is an inevitability in which we do not have a choice in the matter, but what happens up to that point is up to us. As Sartre would say, "we are our choices." 😊
I love The Stranger's relationship with time. Life would be so much easier if I could stop worrying about what has happened and what will happen. Obviously we shouldn't take all our life lessons from this book, but living in the moment is an excellent takeaway.
Absolutely agree! Although, it can be difficult at times, as we tend to let our past dictate so much of what we do in our daily lives. It is a good reminder to slow down every now and then.😊
“The only way for him to live an authentic life was to be as indifferent to the world as the world was to him” - brilliant!
Thank you so much! I am glad you liked this 😊😊
5:40 - yeah, it's been said people grieve/respond in different ways. Malcolm Gladwell [in 'Talking to Strangers'] wrote about how some people don't 'match' (when outward behavior doesn't match inner reality, or what they "should" look like); so ironically, even an innocent person might "seem" guilty of something if they don't match their culture's expectations of proper behavioral response. [But of course, some criticize Gladwell's analysis on various things, so the conversation (or: debate) always goes on... // Great video, Pae! 😊
Thank you very much, Mike! I haven't read that book, but it does sound like something I would be interested in. I will have to look it up--but I do believe that is exactly what Camus is getting at in part, here. Thanks for another good recommendation! Hope all is well with you!😎
This was a wonderful contemplation. I had never considered Time as a subject in the novel, but of course it is. Every moment is separate, but real--until it's not because it's gone. Thanks.
Exactly! It is really interesting how Meursault's attitude about life has so much to do with the way he sees the passing of time. The novel really is complex in so many ways, there is always something different when reading it. 😊
I need you to do an audiobook! I love your voice! I loved the opening lines of this book. I must admit I never read THE STRANGER-but now I want to. Always great observations and insights! Wonderful video and amazing content as always!
Haha thank you so much! I will have to try and do an audiobook of my own book. Though I don't think it would do too well 🤣😂
I loved the point of the protagionist expressing a truly emotional honesty that is separate from expectations. That is actually a very important thought, and I think something we still struggle with today. Anyone who does not conform to the general expectation of the masses is usually ostracized or at least socially perceived as separate. Where in fact, their emotional response could be more honest than the genrally upheld one. That is very interesting, and I liked the exploration of that segment. Great discussion and video as always, Pae!
Thank you so much, Jane! And yes, I do believe that is a very important point that Camus was trying to make here--how absurd our relationship with society is, and how it is set up in such a way that things like this happen for seemingly no reason. It is an interesting observation for sure. 😊😊
I completely agree with Marie! How we were discussing, when I read over it, I didn’t think he was cruel to her. He was straightforward and honest. It was then her choice to be with him and she knew exactly what was expected. She was almost thankful for it and seemed to like him more. He did also acknowledge that he enjoyed her company whenever he was around her. Now I have only made it to part 2 so we will see if I still think the same as I do hahaha.
To live in the present with no emotional connection to the past is freeing and I often wish that is something I could present in certain aspect of my life, but I believe it is much harder to achieve, especially as one gets older because we have become so conditioned to being connected to our past and worrying about the future.
He does give a lot away about how he feels toward Marie in a couple sentences near the end that are easy to miss. I think you will like this second part even more. It really changes mood without changing the emotion that comes along with the overall work.
Though it is the past that makes up the present moment, There is a kind of "nothingness" that separates us from the past in which we are bale to judge and make choices for the future--as we technically view ourselves in the future to begin with. We will have to have a conversation on this, as it would take three hours to type out everything I want to say on it haha.
@@attention5638 yes! Haha we will have to do that when I get to that part!
I love that Mersault speaks his truth regardless of whethr it's a beautiful truth or not. I try to do something similar and people seem to hate it, I think people would generally rather hear a beautiful lie than an ugly truth.
So true!
Very true, unfortunately. But the people that do stick to the truth regardless of how it is, typically attract the same kinds of people, which is nice. Or at least, I have found that to be the case.
@@attention5638 Sometimes! :)
This is a very unique approch of talking about books on RUclips, I hadn't thought of Stranger in this light! Amazing
Thank you so much! There are so many interesting aspects to the novel. It is a good one!😊😊
Wow! I love how you explained the existentialist relationship between choice/creating oneself and time. Wishing something to be true does not make it true, but the ultimate conclusion that he is to be as indifferent to the world as the world is to him seems like a harsh one! Then again, I’m sure that’s been interpreted or explored in different ways. Congratulations on 1K! Very well deserve! 🎉🎉🎉
Thank you very much, Johanna! This little novel has been interpreted in many ways. I try to stick with what Camus has said on the book in interviews/essays, but it can be difficult to not diverge here and there 😅
I wish I could be more centered in the moment. I live in constant terror of what has yet to happen and with constant weight from that which has happened already.
Yeah, I tend to do the same. It can be far too difficult not to sometimes, unfortunately. 😞
Interesting discussion. Living in the moment, time doesn't matter.
That does seem to be a consequence of the idea, haha. Thanks for checking this out, Jim!😊
My husband has been encouraging me to read Camus for years and years and years. You're only helping his argument! 🙈
Hahaha Good! He is great! You should give it a try 😊😊
He Camus, he Sawus, he Conqus
Boo haha 😄
I don't know what that means, but it made me laugh😂
I like the line about death being the only certainty... and I know I've heard this somewhere else before, but "change", one of life's other certainties I think. Can't think of any others off the top of my head🤗
Oh yes! Change being the only constant. When it comes to life, there is probably a few things that are certain, but maybe not constant hahaha. Thank you for checking this out!😊😊
Einstein once said that time was an illusion.
Many Debates on time have been through out the ages and involved great minds.
I try to live a life I can remember .Because one day I am going to leave the world behind.
Literature is mimetic and expressive and pragmatic... Literature is the greatest philosophy.
Thank you Attention
Absolutely, my friend! It is a really fun topic to discuss, and I could go forever with it.
And yes! Some fiction novels really do get into the philosophy in such a way that essays can't. Especially when it comes to existentialism 😊😊
Great talk!! Every one that comes out I feel like I can finally talk and discuss with all my English major friends 😂
Haha That is really great to hear! English majors are always good company 😎😊
This concept of moments of time is a powerful idea and a fascinating topic. As someone who has to work to stop ruminating on the past and catastrophising about the unknown future, it strikes a chord with me! Great video ask always!
I am very much the same. It can be difficult at times to just let go the past, and move forward. But sometimes, it is well worth it.😊😊
@@attention5638 most definitely! 😊
Ah, being told that your partner would marry anyone like you, the words everyone wants to hear! 😉 You did an excellent job discussing time, life, and death in this video, particularly ~ 8:55 with the concept that the specific moment of death is inconsequential as death itself is inevitable.
Hahah yes! Those are the exact words I hope to hear one day 😂 And thank you very much. I am glad I came across clearly . I am always worried i didn't explain things well enough. 😊
Enlightening as always. Thanks Pae
Thank you, Brian! Hope you are well!
So deep...excellent video on Time’s significance to the work!
Thank you so much for checking it out! Glad it turned out alright.😊😊
I love your punk rock duck. I wish I had more to contribute, but I'm not smart enough. Still, I love to hear you talk about these things. 😁
Someone sent me that duck, it is pretty rad haha and of course you are! I have seen your a lot of your videos, you know what's up! 😊😊
Oohh wow I loved the intro!!! So trueeeee. Your videos are always so informative ❤ "The Stranger" is really really interesting.
Thank you so much!😊😊 It is a really great little novel, for sure!😊😎
I'm amazed at how much you do manage to fit in these videos! Trying to imagine your heartbeat isn't there is the most emo thing I've heard in a while 😅
Great video! 👏😊
Hahahah, that is really funny. Meursault was a bit of an emo when waiting in his cell to be executed haha😂🤣
@@attention5638 🤣
Great video and discussion, as always. When you said "Existentialism views humans as subjects..." I couldn't help but think about how I've always found the Schrödinger's Box theory flawed because it views the cat as just an object, but cats have personality, intelligence, and their own point of view and thus the cats would always know whether or not they were in the box. I don't know how relevant that is to your discussion of time here, but I feel like it fits, at least with expectations.
This comment sent me down a long rabbit hole. I have never thought of it before, but yeah, this does seem to be a flaw, or at least, could be. I am trying to find an essay bringing this up, but it seems to have gone unnoticed hahah.
@@attention5638 I came up with it myself. I've never seen anyone else mention it either. But as a cat parent, it seems apparent to me. :)
Jack Raconteur and I just made a Hegel joke while reading another book 😂🤣
I don’t have anything to add. Is there one more Q&A for this book and that’s the last video planned?
I was thinking on something like that. I was going to take a few of the comments and address them in the next video, as some people brought up really important point I should probably touch on haha
Very well articulated! I don’t have much knowledge about Camus’ work, although his darkness irks my christian sensitivity. “Let’s be to the world what the world is to us” (indifferent) will sound like a poor philosophical conclusion to anyone who believes in God. It also sounds like all that thinking is taking you to a worldview that any mammal or insect could have, therefore making all this thinking seem… rather useless. But of course this would need to be a much longer discussion!
You ate definitely not wrong. Camus was an atheist and did view the search for meaning in the universe as unreasonable--which is an honest conclusion for one who believes there is nothing after life. But yes, this is definitely a longer conversation. One I am always open to have!😊😊
@@attention5638 Would be perfect to have this chat in person with a coffee. Who knows, maybe one day. Ahh….Camus, the old ice-breaker!
Great video, Pae, and really making me interested in reading this book! I love the emotional honesty bits - though it does put me in mind of a meme that floats around occasionally about how you still need to deliver truth with care and compassion (at least in relationships you care about). I laughed at his comment to the girl he loves. 😀
Oh yes, and even though I do understand why Meursault acts this way, I do agree more so with being careful on how things are delivered. The truth can typically be said in a way that isn't so hurtful, even if it does cause pain in the end. 😊
Another outstanding video - much appreciated! I was discussing this very matter the other day when someone told me I confuse the narrative with the point. Going into it like this is definitely inspiring me to get it off the shelf again!
That is so great to hear! It is definitely one of those novels that deserves a few reads. I get something different from it ever time. 😊😊
Outstanding video❤
Thank you so much!😊😊
This is well above my pay grade, but I'll throw my two cents in anyway. The opening quote struck me when I read it, because it's obviously wrong (to me anyway). The timing of events is so critical to the result of events that it hard to believe that anyone could believe that. I find the idea of the universe splitting into two when a decision is made fascinating. I would love to explore that tree for eternity. Also, the world is not indifferent to Meursault. There would have been no trial if it were indifferent. The way trials are conducted can make it seem indifferent to the accused, but there are still moments where the defendant must interact with the players.
What Camus states that the world is indifferent to human beings, he means that there is no grand plan that the universe holds for the individual. The relationship between the world and the individual is absurd in the sense of nature. People can care for other people, for sure, but there is no preordained path set for a person to follow. In the grand scheme of the universe, it doesn't matter what happens to the human species. I probably could have explained that better hahah thank you for pointing that out!😊😎
Wow,! 1.04k subscribers! Congratulations! You deserve it.😄 I love the video of the Dachshund. I have a two Dapple Dachshunds and a Basset Hound mix.
Thank you so much! And I didn't know that! I don't remember seeing them in any of your videos haha
@@attention5638 If you watch my video Little Dog Lost in the beginning you could see my blind Dapple Dachshund Bindi.
This is very interesting. Gives good insight into why the current trend toward living in the moment is so difficult. It's completely at odds with the established norms. But I wonder how many of those norms are artificially created and how many might be attributed to instinct. As you point out, this character is not lacking in emotions, just manages to rationalize them away, but isn't that counter to the original thought/explanation of absurdity?
That is a really good point, and it is a bit of a paradox. Camus was very well aware of the paradoxes in absurdism, which may be part of the reason he didn't consider it an actual philosophy--but a simple feeling one gets when trying to rationalize one's existence in the universe.
awesome video like every video you made 😂🤣 keep it up you are doing great ✔ cant wait for the next video you post! its was awesome!!!
Thank you, Kira! I am glad that you like them.😊😊😎
Well if he made it his mission to reflect indifference and lack of hope it sounds like he achieved that...not that that matters because its all inconsequential anyway 🤔. Oh what an interesting thought maze.
It is for sure a thought maze--one I have been stuck in for some time, haha. But! Finding value in the moments lived can make it better. 😊😊
It sounds like I really need to reread this… or do I? 🤔 Does it even matter?
Either way, you always do such a great job analyzing these sorts of works!
Thank you so much, Kati! It is definitely one of those novels that deserves a few reads. There is just so much that can be taken from it.😊😊
What if we are DESIGNED to become immortal? Also there are probably 2 ways of getting to immortality: organic way (Kechari mudra) and inorganic way ( synthetic Vaksinaishons ;-)
Thank you Pae for all your creative and fun videos!
Awesome love the content good luck ❤️
Thank you so much for checking it out!😊😊
This is where I can't get behind Camus, I'm probably going to die in 40 years myself and it makes a big difference to me if I die tomorrow or not, also there's an outside chance that I might not die at all with new technology, in this situation I will still die with the universe ends, but taken to the extreme and time matters. Maybe I'm taking him way too literally, but I strongly disagree with his conjecture.
I think, individually it does matter, and when he says, it doesn't matter if he dies that day or 20 years later, he is meaning in the grand scheme of things. When the time does come, and one dies, they wont have any remembrance for the years lived, and to that person, it would be as though they never existed. In that sense, it doesn't matter, but when alive, it most certainly matters to the individual. If that makes sense. Overall, I do also greatly disagree with a lot of Camus philosophy and there are a few things that he doesn't take into account. There are a lot of things one has to accept on no basis for his philosophy to really be accepted as a whole, for sure.
@@attention5638 That makes sense, thank you. I feel like its doubled down, time is important to how we understand that time in important to Camus.
Nothing to add...just congrats and good vid as always 🧡
Well, as always, good to see you! And thank you for stopping by 😊😊
11 like 👍❤️👍
Thank you very much! 😊😊
Your words are profound. I mean this.😉
Thank you very much! I am glad that you get a lot from these videos.😎😊
Hey, sir, in the future, can you review Frank Kafka's The Metamorphosis? It is my absolute favorite from my college days...if you've already covered it, please direct me to the video. WOULD love to get your thoughts on it. Thanks.
I was actually thinking this, and was going to cover it before this one, but wanted to take more time with it. The Metamorphosis is one of my all time favorite works of fiction, and Kafka my favorite fiction author. Once I start that series, it may never end, but totally worth it 😅
@@attention5638 I agree! Thanks.
@@attention5638 His biography is equally as fascinating.
@@stevencorey1278 I have read quite a few, and though the one by his friend, Max Brod, gets trashed here and there, I thought it was pretty great.
@@attention5638 Again, we are in agreement. My professor pushed Kafka so hard on us that we were tested on his life story, as well...glad he did!
Yes i told you :P you gonna be famous when you start giving classes i want to see XD
Hahaha famous teachers are pretty rare these days, but hey, so long as I can get through to a few people, I will be happy with that 😊😊
This has nothing 2 do with the discussion. Did you cop out and cut Your hair???
LoL
Did You do some of those illustrations???
Agreed about what you said about His Mother's passing. That is not emotionless.
Some think if You don't show the same emotional response as most ...it means you are emotionless. Ignorance.
Even though I know escaping is impossible, I still need about 160 more Years .LoL.
Isn't the way He thought...fatalistic 2 a point???
As Usual Entertaining, and Thought provoking Video My Friend 👍😁👍
Hahah I have not yet cut my hair. I think I just have it back here hahs and no, I did not do those illustrations. They were on a free gif website.
And yeah, I think I would get along with Meursault hahah😅
@@attention5638 👍😁👍
yeet yeet like #42
Hahah Thank you very much, Pete!😎