Social Alienation and Camus' 'The Outsider'

Abstract

This paper tries to identify the major components of Albert Camus' literary philosophy by putting him in a historical, political and cutural context. Seeing him as the product of post-war human crisis, an attempt is made to see the organic affiliations that he had made in a political and cultural spheres. Approaching from the alienation point of view it moves on to other sequential concepts like the Absurd and Revolt which form the essential components of his literary philosophy. comparisons are made with the alienation of vacanagaras of 12th century India, a case in which social alienation turned into spiritual alienation due to inevitable political reasons.

Camus travels through alienation to reach his final destination of a moralist and pacifist which have afforded him a permanent place in world literature and culture.