Camus's The plague philosophical perspectives / edited by Peg Brand Weiser.
| Author/creator | Weiser, Peg Brand |
| Other author | Oxford University Press. |
| Format | Electronic |
| Publication Info | New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2023] |
| Description | xvii, 232 pages: illustrations; 21 cm. |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from Oxford Scholarship Online |
| Subjects |
| Series | Oxford studies in philosophy and literature |
| Contents | Introduction: The relevance of Camus's The plague / Peg Brand Weiser -- The plague and the present moment / Steven G. Kellman -- Present in effacement: the place of women in Camus's Plague and ours / Jane E. Schulz -- The meaning of a pandemic / Andrew Edgar -- Grief and human connection in The plague / Kathleen Higgins -- Examining the narrative devolution of the physician in Camus's The plague / Edward B. Weiser -- Horror and natural evil in The plague / Cynthia A. Freeland -- 'I can't breathe': covid-19 and The plague's tragedy of political and corporeal suffocation / Margaret E. Gray -- Modern death, decent death, and heroic solidarity in The plague / Peg Brand Weiser. |
| Abstract | "Camus's classic narrative, La Peste (The Plague), is a timely philosophical read in an era when a deadly pandemic rages worldwide. An allegory rich with suggestion, it rewards an imaginative reader with innumerable meanings as our own lived experiences mirror the novel. We witness protesters who argue for individual freedom and the autonomy to defy government-imposed regulations. They openly clash with followers of science who recommend shared actions of self-sacrifice to mitigate the spread of infection. Choosing either to act in one's own interest or to sacrifice for the good of all has become a haunting theme of American life in which the "richest nation on earth" experienced the highest number of cases and deaths in the world while under the leadership of former president Donald Trump as well as through the first year, 2021, of the administration of President Joe Biden. Political divisions over wearing masks, social distancing, police killings, Black Lives Matter, the January 6, 2021 assault on the United States Capitol, and recommended or mandated vaccines, sow discord at a time when solidarity could have united the U.S. to lead the world against the pandemic. Instead, misinformation campaigns have stoked opposition among the populace and away from the virus. "We're all in this together," was repeatedly uttered by Dr. Bernard Rieux, Camus's narrator. How seldom did we hear that call for unity from the podiums of power, for example, the leaders of America, Brazil, and India (the three countries with the highest death counts in the world)? After two years into the coronavirus pandemic with over one million deaths in the U.S. and over 6 million worldwide, we might ask ourselves, do we measure up to Camus's optimistic assessment of human behavior under duress? Do we collectively meet the minimum threshold of ethical behavior posed by Camus who wrote, "What's true of all the evils in the world is true of plague as well. It helps men to rise above themselves"?"-- Provided by publisher. |
| General note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2022038837 |
| ISBN | 9780197599327 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 9780197599334 (softcover) |
| ISBN | (epub) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |