Camus' Meursault in "The Outsider" Archetype of an Absurd Man: A Critical Study

Scientific Study from the year 2011 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: none, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Department of English), course: English Literature, ENG-423, language: English, abstract: This paper explores Camus' Meursault's brusque mannerisms that lead to society judging him and ultimately hating him, as he is judged to be a threat. Meursault did not care about anything or anybody, but himself, and his own little pleasures and the necessities of the moment. He has no feelings, does not care to "advance" his life in the same way that others expect. It demonstrates how Meursault is a rebel in the eyes of society by his actions and upholds him as the archetype of an absurd man.

Dr. Hossain Al Mamun is Associate Professor of the Department of English at Shahjalal University of Science & Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh. He teaches British, American and Contemporary English Literature with an emphasis on Literary Theory. His specialized areas include Shakespeare, Mysticism, Post-colonial Studies and South-Asian Literature. The number of his published books are five and he is the author of twenty research articles published in different Journals.