Albert Camus: L' Etranger

Reclam's foreign language reading keys follow the proven structure and presentation principles of the reading keys for German literature. They refer to the foreign language original text (if possible in Reclam's Red Series), but are written in German and also support the reading of the German translation. A checklist contains tasks for comprehension control in the foreign language. Below the presentation text, there are translation aids and key terms in the foreign language to facilitate the completion of these tasks and foreign language presentations about the work. The reading keys explore individual literary works. Around an interpretation, ten important access points for understanding are grouped: initial information about the work, summary, characters (constellations), structure of the work (structural outline), commentary on words, interpretation, author and time, reception, checklist for comprehension control, and reading tips with film recommendations as well as space for notes.

In "L’Étranger" (translated as "The Stranger"), published in 1942, Camus tells the story of Meursault, who shoots an Arab on a beach in Algeria. "It was because of the sun," Meursault explains his act in the courtroom. The philosophical question of the meaning of human existence, which proved absurd to Camus, was at the center of his thinking and literary creation. For Camus, the absurdity of human existence – in light of the inevitability of death – lay in the contradiction between the apparent meaninglessness of life and the endeavor to find meaning within it. Camus, along with Sartre, is considered a founder of aesthetic existentialism. His works have significantly shaped the philosophy and literature of the 20th century.