FRE 333 - Camus, The Artist at Work

This reading- and discussion-based course will introduce students to the thought and works of French-Algerian author Albert Camus (1913-1960). The guiding theme for this course will be Camus’s constant negotiation between his work as an artist and his perceived duty to the public as an intellectual. Students will become familiar with the tradition of the committed writer (écrivain engagé) in the history of French letters, its evolution from the Enlightenment through the mid-twentieth century, and Camus’s own understanding of the writer’s role in the historical factors before, during, and after World War II. Because of Camus’s close engagement with the historical events of his day, students will inevitably engage with the contemporaneous politico-intellectual currents in Europe; with crucial events like the rise of fascism, colonialism, decolonization, World War II, the Algerian War, and the Cold War; as well as with numerous ethical questions, including the use of violence as a means to an end. Readings will include selections from his journalistic writing in Combat and from his philosophical essay L’Homme révolté; his novels La Peste and La Chute; the collection of essays about colonial Algeria and the Algerian War titled Chroniques algériennes; the collection of short stories titled L’Exil et le Royaume; as well as speeches and interviews in which he discussed his work as an artist and his responsibility to the public debates of his time as a well-known writer and intellectual.

Prerequisites & Notes
This course is open to students who have completed FRE 220 or its equivalent.