For the majority out there, a nostalgic saying "Don't judge a book by its cover!" has influenced our way of choosing novels to read ever since we were young. My question is, though,...are titles included?
Upon receiving the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, the title particularly sparked my curiosity. Not the cover design, the text size, or the font choice, but the title. Why would Camus title his novel with a noun that evinces such a strong enigmatic and impersonal impression?
Prior to reading the novel, I had superficial ideas. "The Stranger": a tragedy fiction novel following a male or female lead or a mystery fiction following a detective. None of my thoughts came close to answering my previously asked question. However, after opening the novel and reading part one, I've constructed a possible answer.
Throughout part one, all of Meursault's interactions and relationships with other characters such as Maman, Marie, Raymond, Perez, etc have been superficial. No indication of a personal relationship with any of them is noted, nor does it seem like he has a deep relationship with himself. He discloses no personal information, preferences, or emotion to anyone, including himself. No where in the novel does his words spoken, not convey his thoughts. Meursault goes through each day with no enthusiasm, ambition, or, if I dare say, reason. If he did have one, we wouldn't know. Even after reading six chapters into the novel, Meursault is not only a stranger to the characters, but a stranger to all. Neither the characters within the novel or the readers absorbing every word, know who Monsieur Meursault truly is.
I think this is a great connection between the title of the book and Meursault's relationships. I find it interesting that you mentioned he was a stranger to himself; I believe Meursault knew exactly how he felt at his mother's funeral and did not cry because it was not true to his own emotions. He didn't feel obligated to cry simply because others around him reacted in such a way. While Meursault may seem distant and a "stranger" to the world around him, he is very true to himself/his own beliefs, leading me to disagree with that statement.
ReplyDeleteI also agree this is a great connection between the title of the book and the story itself. I do agree that Meursault could be a stranger to himself. I feel as if he is capable of more emotion except there is a side to him where he suppresses these feelings, thus creating the "stranger" Camus titled his book with.
ReplyDeleteI never stopped to think about judging a book by its title. It really is an interesting way of turning "don't judge a book by it's cover" on it's ear. If the assumption is that the cover is a shallow way of judging a book, then is the title any better as an indication to the worth of the book. On the other hand one could consider the title the shortest possible preview to a book. It would then be seen as how the author says to the reader, "here is a little taste of my book". some being more straight forward and others being more cryptic until you actually read the book.
ReplyDelete