The Plague

Fantastic little read, from a fantastic author. Camus and Vonnegut sort of invoke similar feelings in me, with their “and so it goes” and “life is just absurd”. Love them both.

It was particularly interesting to read it during the start of the Covid pandemic, with so many of the reactions on the book being replicated across the Globe.... very insightful...

I would like to read this one again in the future (this time in text format so I can better grasp the narrative and underline to my heart's content).

I identified with and agreed with a lot of the author's ideas of human life and existentialism. Humans are great.. but also we kinda suck. Having lived through a worldwide pandemic, there were many points of this book that just rang true for me. The feelings of being a prisoner in my own city, what it means to love and support other humans, and what it means to be a member of a community and how much work one should devote to the collective. Very, very interesting especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Quotes:

“In fact, it comes to this: nobody is capable of really thinking about anyone, even in the worst calamity. For really to think about someone means thinking about that person every minute of the day, without letting one's thoughts be diverted by anything- by meals, by a fly that settles on one's cheek, by household duties, or by a sudden itch somewhere. But there are always flies and itches. That's why life is difficult to live.”

“There are more things to admire in men then to despise.”

“What's true of all the evils in the world is true of plague as well. It helps men to rise above themselves.”

“There have been as many plagues as wars in history; yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.”

“In this respect, our townsfolk were like everybody else, wrapped up in themselves; in other words, they were humanists: they disbelieved in pestilences. A pestilence isn't a thing made to man's measure; therefore we tell ourselves that pestilence is a mere bogy of the mind, a bad dream that will pass away. But it doesn't always pass away and, from one bad dream to another, it is men who pass away, and the humanists first of all, because they have taken no precautions.”

“When a war breaks out, people say: “It's too stupid; it can't last long.” But though a war may well be “too stupid,” that doesn't prevent its lasting. Stupidity has a knack of getting its way; as we should see if we were not always so much wrapped up in ourselves.”

“A loveless world is a dead world.”

“I know that man is capable of great deeds. But if he isn't capable of great emotion, well, he leaves me cold.”