Du coup, je comprends que c'est un roman existentialiste... mais mon Dieu combien c'est sombre et déprimé ! J'en peux plus. L'étranger provoque le questionnement de tout et encourage la folie totale en lisant le texte, clairement ayant répondu aux attentes... je suis tellement heureuse que c'est fini. Maintenant il faut juste écrire 1 test et 1 examen à son sujet ! 😅 Lu pour FREN 230

If it weren't so short, I would have DNF'd after the first 30 pages. Didn't become remotely interesting until halfway through. I know it's a classic, but it's not for me. 

It’s a classic absurdist and nihilist text, and it does not impress me the in the way that Waiting for Godot did in high school. Obviously the plot of L’étranger is more plausible. While the focus is on the protagonist’s morally devoid character, the happenings of the novel occur purely as a result of circumstances. The lack of character development may be explained by the perspective of Meursault who exhibits sociopathic behaviours. His thinking processes consider people as facts, they are relevant to him when they are in his vicinity, when they are absent they almost vanish from his conscience. Marie is beautiful, people conduct their business on the street, and the sun is oppressively hot. He lives hedonistically but accepts all which comes his way. 

What interested me was the flaws of human justice processes that were raised, whereby the prosecutor drew a string of coincidental events into a flawless tapestry condemning Meursault to the guillotine. The idea that the defence lawyer and the prosecutor were into his soul rather than coming to a verdict purely on the basis of facts casts light on the complexities of human instinct and feeling that are often in direct opposition to logic and plain facts.
The murder scene was also interesting as the sensory overload Meursault experiences was reason enough to murder a stranger who he was not in direct conflict with, in fact the murdered man defended his sister from Raymond’s abuse.  None of these details mattered in Meursault’s mind. 

Overall, this English translation is sharp, effective and a solid introductory text into absurdist and nihilist philosophy. For this reason I imagine it is a required reading for Year 11 and 12 Extension English. As a French speaker, I wish to read the original French version because I believe it will be more enjoyable to me. I prefer the poetics of the French language and the feeling of proximity to the author through their native language.

Look, I get it. It’s a classic. Some of the writing was beautifully written and part two definitely hooked me. But… are we reading the same thing? I don’t understand the full hype. The main character was awful pretty awful person, surrounded by pretty awful people. I just didn’t find myself moved in the way everyone else seems to be after reading all these big star reviews? 
3 stars however because it was an interesting read once finished and it was written in a way that made me forget it was even fiction. Maybe if I ever get around to a second reading of this as people keep shouting to do, I’ll be moved in some existential way and feel the same passion. But for now? No.