Albert Camus

 

I've just finished Camus's The Fall, and let me say at the start: I did not enjoy it. Which surprised me, actually, because I remember having a favorable impression of The Stranger. For one, I found it difficult to follow the plot of The Fall. And, true, you might argue that the very idea of plot is secondary to a novella like this one: but be that as it may, I struggled at times to track the main character and his descent. But more than that, I felt the philosophies introduced here did not fully crystalize: ideas of honor, shame, and sacrifice are there, and I recognized their tension. But beyond that, I was not sure that I grasped the fall itself: the self-judgement and penitence, especially. There are philosophical novels and novels which engage certain philosophies, and I'm sure much has been written about that distinction. For me, though, this was not a novel of ideas: neither was it a philosophical novel. It was an essay of sorts, charting one character's frustrated quest for moral supremacy. That pursuit is the target of laughter: not from outside, but from within. And here, perhaps, Camus makes his strongest point: in the end, objective judgement may be impossible, but we still have a nagging sense of right and wrong. Despite my critique, the last line is for Camus: "Death is solitary while servitude is collective."