Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The plague



Hello readers this is my  point of view about Albert Camus novel "The Plague" this particular work is given by the head of the English department Dr. Dilipsir barad, he wants to aware students about corona pandemic as well as making us familiar with historical data of pandemic. 


It is as reasonable to represent one kind of imprisonment by another, as it is to 
represent anything that really exists by that which exists not. 

 DANIEL DEFOE 






“Its relevance lashes you across the face.” —Stephen Metcalf, The Los Angeles Times • 



"A haunting tale of human resilience and hope in the face of unrelieved horror, Albert Camus’ iconic novel about an epidemic ravaging the people of a North African coastal town is a classic of twentieth-century literature. 



The townspeople of Oran are in the grip of a deadly plague, which condemns its victims to a swift and horrifying death. Fear, isolation and claustrophobia follow as they are forced into quarantine. Each person responds in their own way to the lethal disease: some resign themselves to fate, some seek blame, and a few, like Dr. Rieux, resist the terror.



An immediate triumph when it was published in 1947, The Plague is in part an allegory of France’s suffering under the Nazi occupation, and a timeless story of bravery and determination against the precariousness of human existence.







  • Humanity(Self-Centeredness Vs Self-Sacrifice)
  • Science Vs Religion
  • Power Politics(Nascism of 1940s Vs 2020 Epidemics)
  • This narrative as an archetype of Epidemic Literature



  • 1)Man is a creature that is as difficult to control as this epidemic.  Sometimes humanity is seen in it, sometimes selfish instinct.  When there is an epidemic, plague or a disaster in the world, they risk their lives to fight and somewhere people are not even aware to save their lives.

    In this novel Dr. Rieux. Camus has given the message of Solidarity against absurdity. These two seems well example of human sacrifice. There are also other people who are living mindlessly. There is always social unrest among these kinds of people. Everyone reacts differently according to different situation. One character in this story has committed suicide, the easy way out. Some decides to live in blissful ignorance. They are denying the real fact. They are much self-centered. Father Paneloux also comes under self centeredness because he is not doing anything just giving lessons to people about collective destiny and the God’s punishment.


    It has become a reality of human life that man considers himself a superpower and wants to conquer all sorts of things but sometimes his fight is against a deadly epidemic and disaster.


    2)The debate between science and religion will never end.  There is no end to this struggle.  Whenever such a crisis time has come upon human life, both religion and science have always run in different directions

    People who believe in superstition have never found the facts of science to be meaningful.  The ultimate loss from this kind of contradictory attitude is to the human race.

     In this novel we can see Dr. Rieux and Paneloux are face to face. Dr. Rieux don’t believe in collective destiny where all are getting punished. Father believes that this plague is all about God’s punishment for human. Dr. Rieux has seen death of all diseased people including innocent children. He has other ways to justifies his statement.
    -         Dr. Rieux has presented excellent point in this work-
    “What interests me is learning how to become saint”
    “But you don’t believe in God”

    “Exactly, can one become a saint without God?”

    Click here to read my more works related with pandemic history. 


    Click here to read such amazing and intresting readings about pandemics. 



    My this blogs are going to connect with this blog . Here I'm using such examples and worth reading context and books related with pandemic plague and corona as well. 

    Worth reading about pendemic in this quarantine














    Since the coronavirus outbreak, sales of Albert Camus’ classic book The Plague have rocketed.
    Here are five other books that give context on outbreaks.
    For example, the popular Oxford University Press series, Viruses, A Very Short Introduction explains how global warming is having an impact on the spread of disease.

    It was written more than 70 years ago, but Albert Camus’ celebrated classic La Peste (The Plague) is speaking to us as loudly as ever. The book, which tells of the spread of a plague in a North African town and the human response to death, has seen a major uptick in sales since the outbreak of the coronavirus.


    With concern about the disease spreading, it is little wonder that the book is resonating with new audiences. And the moral and personal questions it raises are as relevant now as they were when it was written.


    5 books to read for context on the coronavirus outbreak




    Here are five more books to give context and information about disease throughout human history.



    Click here to read full book.

    Overview of the Book: 




    Snowden explores how mass infectious outbreaks have shaped society, looking at their impact on medical science and public health, as well as the arts, religion, intellectual history and warfare.

    He gives historical perspective on diseases such as smallpox, cholera, and tuberculosis, and examines the fallout from recent epidemics such as HIV/AIDS, SARS, and Ebola.










    Click here to read full book. 


    Overview of the book: 

    Short and accessible, this book gives an overview of the origins and method of infection of a range of diseases, including recent epidemics such as Ebola, Zika and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

    Crawford also looks at how global warming is changing the spread of vector-borne diseases and the impact this has on populations not previously brought into contact with these viruses.






    Click here to read full book.

    Overview of the book:



    Deadly viruses including Ebola, SARS and HIV/AIDS have all been transmitted from animals. Quammen details how this happened, what we can do to limit the spread and what the other likely contenders are for spillover into the human population.









    Click here to read full book.

    Overview of the book:



    As a medical historian, Honigsbaum charts the scientific struggle and progress against deadly disease over the last century. From the 1918 Spanish Flu to modern-day outbreaks, he looks at how disease spread is influenced by health officials, scientists and others. He also discusses how racial, religious and ethnic tensions are exacerbated by outbreaks.







    Click here to read full book.

    Overview of the book.


    Vaccinations and behaviours are key methods for limiting the spread of infectious diseases, but little attention is paid to the psychological factors involved. This book looks into the emotional and social disruption disease can cause, and the role psychological factors have in areas such as nonadherence to vaccine programmes.

    Taylor also covers how these issues can be central to managing societal issues associated with pandemics such as spreading fear and stigma.

    For further coronavirus-related reading check out this list from The Syllabus.