Albert Camus' novel 'The Stranger' is a colonial text in which the writer willingly ignores the Arab, the second most important character of the novel. The present research endeavors to prove that 'The Stranger' by Camus and its counter narrative 'The Meursault Investigation' by Kamel Daoud are examples of African novels.
The following research therefore endeavors to analyse 'The Stranger' by Albert Camus and 'The Meursault Investigation' by Daoud as examples of African novels, from a postcolonial perspective. In order to do so, the native Arab portrayed in both the novels will be analysed. First, the voiceless Arab of 'The Stranger' will be analyzed, followed by an investigation into and analysis of the portrayal of the Arab in 'The Meursault Investigation'.
Table of Contents
1. Analysis of The Stranger and The Meursault’s Investigation as examples of African Novels
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper aims to analyze Albert Camus’s "The Stranger" and Kamel Daoud’s "Meursault’s Investigation" from a postcolonial perspective, focusing on the portrayal of the native Arab population and the shift in narrative gaze. It seeks to explore how the dehumanization of the Arab character in Camus’s original work is challenged and subverted by Daoud in his counter-narrative, while also examining the impact of colonialism and religious fanaticism in Algeria.
- Comparative analysis of the colonizer’s gaze vs. the colonized’s perspective.
- Deconstruction of the "voiceless" and "nameless" Arab in canonical literature.
- Evaluation of "The Meursault’s Investigation" as an act of "writing back" to the empire.
- Exploration of identity, religion, and the absurdity of the post-colonial condition.
- Reversal of the concept of the "Stranger" within the Algerian context.
Excerpt from the Book
Analysis of The Stranger and The Meursault’s Investigation as examples of African Novels
The research endeavors to analyse the The Stranger by Albert Camus and Meursault’s Investigation by Daud Kamal an examples of African novel, from a postcolonial perspective. In doing so the native Arab portrayed in both the novels will be analysed. Firstly the voiceless Arab of The Stranger will be analyzed and then the portrayal of the Arab in the Meursault’s Investigation will be analysed.
The Stranger by Albert Camus was published in 1942, during the Second World War. The time when the novel was published Africa was a colony of France.“In the French colonies the exotification of the East , flourished with, for instance, the idea of the noble savage, human primitivism, untouched nature, and unrestrained sexuality” (Azar 45). In the novel we see that the Algerian male citizens are described as a “group of Arabs”(Camus 40). There is no individuality attached with the Arab populace in the novel. Their namelessness de-individualizes them which leads to their de-humanization or thingification and only in few cases the Arab is called a “man” (96) or a human in most of the instances in the novel they are either “ an Arab”(88) or “ a body” (68).
Summary of Chapters
1. Analysis of The Stranger and The Meursault’s Investigation as examples of African Novels: This chapter provides a comparative postcolonial reading of both novels, examining how the Arab character is marginalized in Camus's work and subsequently reclaimed as a human subject with an identity in Daoud’s response.
Keywords
Postcolonialism, The Stranger, Meursault’s Investigation, Albert Camus, Kamel Daoud, Algerian Literature, Orientalism, Colonialism, Dehumanization, Counter-narrative, Empire Writing Back, Identity, Arab, Absurdism, Religion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research?
The research focuses on a postcolonial analysis of Albert Camus’s "The Stranger" and Kamel Daoud’s "Meursault’s Investigation" to understand the representation of native Arabs.
What are the central themes of the work?
The central themes include the colonizer’s gaze, dehumanization, the concept of the "Other," post-colonial identity, and the influence of religious fanaticism.
What is the main objective of the analysis?
The objective is to compare how the Arab population is treated in both novels, specifically highlighting how Daoud’s work acts as a counter-narrative to Camus’s portrayal.
Which scientific approach is utilized?
The paper utilizes a postcolonial literary analysis approach, drawing on theoretical frameworks like Edward Said’s "Orientalism" to deconstruct the imperial perspective.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The text covers the dehumanization of characters in "The Stranger," the portrayal of gender, the function of violence, and how "Meursault’s Investigation" reclaims the humanity of the murdered Arab.
Which keywords define this academic work?
Key terms include Postcolonialism, Orientalism, The Stranger, Meursault’s Investigation, Counter-narrative, and Colonialism.
How does the author define the "Stranger" in the second novel?
In Daoud’s novel, the term "Stranger" is reversed; the ruling aliens in the country are portrayed as the strangers rather than the native inhabitants.
Why is Daoud’s protagonist considered different from Meursault?
Harun is considered different because he reflects on his crime through a religious lens, acknowledging the sanctity of human life, unlike Meursault who remains indifferent.
What is the significance of "Empire writing back" in this context?
It refers to the process where colonized authors take the narratives originally created by colonizers and rewrite them to provide a voice to the formerly silenced subjects.
- Citar trabajo
- Inbisat Shuja (Autor), 2016, 'The Stranger' and 'The Meursault Investigation' as examples of African Novels, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/349757
