IN THE WORKS OF ALBERT CAMUS by .... and perhaps the most outstanding of
all: Albert Camus. ..... Camus remembers summer evenings long ago when the.
MAN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE IN THE WORKS OF ALBERT CAMUS
by
MARGARET JEAN BUTTON Honour B . A . , U n i v e r s i t y o f T o r o n t o ,
1962
A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF . MASTER OF ARTS i n the
Department of
Romance
We a c c e p t t h i s t h e s i s required standard
Studies
as
conforming to
the
i
THE UNIVERSITY
OF BRITISH
October
1964
COLUMBIA
In presenting the
requirements
British
Columbia,
available mission
for
for
for
I
agree
reference
extensive
representatives.
cation
of
this
Department
that
the
copying of by the
for
in partial
degree
and s t u d y *
It
thesis
w i t h o u t my w r i t t e n
thesis
an advanced
p u r p o s e s may be g r a n t e d his
this
at
f u l f i l m e n t of
the U n i v e r s i t y o f
L i b r a r y s h a l l make i t I
this
further thesis
agree for
that
of
The U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a , V a n c o u v e r 8, C a n a d a
o r by
t h a t , - c o p y i n g or
f i n a n c i a l g a i n s h a l l not
permission*
per-
scholarly
Head o f my Department
i s understood
freely
publi-
be a l l o w e d '
ABSTRACT This thesis man's
is
an a t t e m p t
r e l a t i o n s h i p with the
writer:
physical universe
social,
works,
on,
he i n c r e a s i n g l y n e g l e c t e d
however,
before
a n d d w e l l on t h e works.
1941,
social,
works;
formed a p a t t e r n
of
nature
physical universe.
one
L'Etranger,
Camus'
and t h e
L'Envers
free i n his association Minotaure",
is
of
i s why theme
drop t h i s
present
subject
Camus* t r e a t m e n t
1941,
et
l'endroit to
he f i n d s as
to
comes a d i s t i n c t
t o - t h e man-nature
theme..
o f the
During the
he f e e l s
a result
first deep
with
sense o f
the
of t h i s
communion. man i s no
inhabitants,
first
communion w i t h
but c o n t r o l l e d by i t .
nature
theme
and Noces were Camus'
p u b l i s h e d work o f f i c t i o n ,
of l i f e close
throughout
Camus d w e l l s on man's
express h i s
with nature,
his
completely.
sense o f "oneness"
which b r i n g s s t e r i l i t y
I n 1941 attitude
neglected
a d e s c r i p t i o n o f O r a n and i t s
man has a c h o i c e from nature
it
career u n t i l
fifst
this
man-nature
completely
however,
was f o u n d t h a t
beliefs
theme.
i n favour
Perhaps,
c e n t r e on t h e
theme,
y o u t h f u l and i n g e n u o u s e f f o r t s and the
it
four chronological periods.
of h i s l i t e r a r y
s e n s i t i v i t y to
nature
of
p o l i t i c a l and p h i l o s o p h i c a l a s p e c t s o f
i n o n l y a few i s it
to
and t h e n t o
The m a n - n a t u r e
Moreover,
years
works o f
Camus was p r e o c c u p i e d w i t h t h i s
p o l i t i c a l and p h i l o s o p h i c a l t o p i c s .
his writings
Camus'
i n the
In h i s e a r l y
any c r i t i c i s m o f h i s works t e n d s
later
a g e - o l d theme
A l b e r t Camus.
Prom 1941
in
to t r a c e the
In longer
"Le
suggests
and h a p p i n e s s o r a l i f e
that away
and boredom. and d e c i s i v e
change
The e s s a y " L e s
i n Camus'
Amandiers"
announces.
ii
t h i s change; i n i t , nature i s reduced to a mere symbol of "the good"; r-i man
i s no longer portrayed enjoying the beauties of nature.
the works of t h i s second p e r i o d — output —
depict man
the longest and r i c h e s t
i n e x i l e from the nature he adores;
because of the "absurd" as i n C a l i g u l a ;
Indeed, in literary
exiled
because of circumstances of
b i r t h and l a c k o f money as i n Le Malentendu and because of plague (or war)
as i n La Peste.
as a memory or a d e s i r e .
Yet, i n a l l these works, nature i s present " L ' E x i l d'Helene" c l o s e s t h i s p e r i o d with a
b i t t e r c r i t i c i s m by the author of a world that has forsaken nature and i t s j o y s . Por a b r i e f i n t e r v a l i n 1952-1953, Camus' w r i t i n g s r e f l e c t a deep d e s i r e t o recapture h i s y o u t h f u l experience of nature i n i Algeria
and I t a l y .
relationship
During t h i s p e r i o d , he d e s c r i b e s h i s renewed
with nature i n the essays:"Retour a T i p a s a " and "La
Mer
au p l u s pres".' N e i t h e r essay, however, contains the freshness and enthusiasm
of the f i r s t p e r i o d . A f t e r 1953,
Camus' c h a r a c t e r s lose themselves
a o world that i s out of touch with nature. e x i l e of a l l men
once again i n
La Chute describes the
and La Femme a d u l t e r e , the communion of man
nature, but with a nature that i s s t e r i l e and
death-like.
with
C O N T
E N T S
INTRODUCTION
1
CHAPTER I : M e d i t e r r a n e a n Summer
7
CHAPTER 1.
II: Exile
44
2. S e a r c h
62
3.
71
Sterility
CONCLUSION
79
BIBLIOGRAPHY
81
INTRODUCTION Man's r e l a t i o n s h i p with nature as r e f l e c t e d i n French l i t e r a t u r e v a r i e s g r e a t l y with the century.
During the Middle Ages,
the c o u r t l y w r i t e r s d e s c r i b e d nature as they saw i t i n t h e i r or orchards. to be f e a r e d .
In i t s " n a t u r a l " s t a t e , however, nature was Dark foreboding f o r c e s —
gardens
something
mythical beasts and g i a n t s
prowl through the f o r e s t s o f C h r e t i e n de Troyes, f o r example.
—
In the
S i x t e e n t h Century, the P l e i a d e d e p i c t e d nature q u i t e d i f f e r e n t l y .
In
t h e i r works, i t was a b r i g h t , pleasant, sensual world i n which nymphs and s a t y r s , poets and t h e i r lady—loves f r o l i c k e d .
In the f o l l o w i n g
century, nature almost disappeared from the French l i t e r a r y Instead of man
and nature, man
himself —
preoccupied Racine and M o l i e r e .
scene.
h i s psychology and manners
—
With Rousseau, the theme of man's
r e l a t i o n s h i p with nature once more became popular.
For him,
was the "good" as opposed to the corrupt c i v i l i z e d world. Rousseau's w r i t i n g s i n p a r t i c u l a r was
nature
From
born the Romantic Movement
of the Nineteenth Century, i n which man's r e l a t i o n s h i p with nature was
the c e n t r a l theme.
emotions,
Nature then became an e x p r e s s i o n of man's
and h i s refuge from c i v i l i z a t i o n .
U n l i k e the Romantics,
the R e a l i s t s regarded nature from an i n t e l l e c t u a l standpoint. t h e i r works, nature l o s t a l l power of i t s own
In
and became instead
a c a r e f u l l y observed, o b j e c t i v e l y - d e s c r i b e d backdrop
f o r man's
actions. In the present century, man's r e l a t i o n s h i p • w i t h nature i s s t i l l a popular theme with many w r i t e r s : Ramuz, Giono, Bosco, C o l e t t e , and perhaps the most outstanding of a l l : Albert Camus.
- 2 -
The term "nature" has s e v e r a l p o s s i b l e connotations. There i s the nature o f a human being, f o r example, which i s h i s n a t i v e or inherent c h a r a c t e r . There i s a l s o the term "nature" which r e f e r s to the universe and i t s phenomena. a f i e l d of knowledge c a l l e d n a t u r a l s c i e n c e .
Thus, t h e r e i s
In t h i s t h e s i s ,
however, the term "nature" w i l l be taken to mean the
elements,
the " f l o r a " and the "fauna" of the p h y s i c a l universe as seen on e a r t h : the sea, sun, sky, the earth, i t s seasons, v e g e t a t i o n , and animal c r e a t u r e s ; i n short, what i s a u t h e n t i c and of man,
independent
as opposed t o the m a t e r i a l i s t i c , c i v i l i z e d world which i s
man's c r e a t i o n ,
i.,..Usually, i n Camus' works nature i s found i n a
s e t t i n g u n s p o i l e d by c i v i l i z a t i o n , somewhere i n a southern c l i m a t e : A l g e r i a , I t a l y , Spain, or Greece.
Only r a r e l y i s i t described i n
an urban s e t t i n g and then o n l y t o i l l u s t r a t e how
civilization
d i s t o r t s or destroys nature and man's experience of i t . Camus' l i t e r a r y c a r e e r spans roughly a twenty-year from 1936,
when he completed L'Envers et l e n d r o i t . u n t i l f
when A c t u e l l e s I I I was p u b l i s h e d .
1958,
During t h i s time, one can observe
a marked development i n the r e l a t i o n s h i p between man Camus' works.
period,
and nature i n
There are f o u r periods i n p a r t i c u l a r i n t h i s develop-
ment: f i r s t l y , a Mediterranean p e r i o d i n which man
i s i n harmony
with nature; secondly, a l o n g p e r i o d of e x i l e i n which man i s i s o l a t e d from the joys o f nature; t h i r d l y , a b r i e f p e r i o d of search; and, f o u r t h l y , a f i n a l p e r i o d o f s t e r i l i t y . T h i s development i s g e n e r a l l y c h r o n o l o g i c a l .
Moreover,
i t corresponds, at l e a s t p a r t i a l l y , t o c e r t a i n events and i n Camus' l i f e .
influences
-
In the e a r l y depicts this
man i n c l o s e
years
may a r o u s e truths
sight,
life
be s e e n c l e a r l y 1937),
This
father,
nature
on two p l a n e s :
Man's c l o s e et l ' e n d r o i t
e a r l y p e r i o d corresponds
1
at
beaches
2
Thus he wrote Mer,
plissais
du monde,
Non,
ce n ' e t a i t
1'accord
By c o n t r a s t
to h i s
of A l g e r i a afforded the
E a c h day he s p e n t
s u n n i n g oni t h e
In those days,
o n l y one -
silence,
days: p a r f u m s de c e t t e t e r r e ,
d'une v i e odorante
dore
Camus
t o Camus: t h e u n i o n between h i m s e l f and n a t u r e .
i n these e a r l y
campagne,
a charwoman.
his
— h i s domineering grand-
and swimming i n t h e s e a .
t h i n g r e a l l y mattered
(1936-
Mondovi i n 1913 o f humble p a r e n t s ,
h o m e - l i f e , the l u x u r i o u s nature happiness.
Noces
r o u g h l y t o Camus' y o u t h i n
r u l e d t h e f a m i l y w i t h an i r o n hand.
glistening
nature
(l939) .
a n a g r i c u l t u r a l w o r k e r and h i s m o t h e r ,
young Camus g r e a t
i n terms
Then,
(1935-1936) ,
and " L e Minotaure"
He was b o r n t h e r e
unpleasant
first,
During
communion w i t h n a t u r e c a n
was v e r y p o o r and o f t e n unhappy as a c h i l d mother
surroundings.
and s m e l l i n p a r t i c u l a r .
and d e a t h .
(1940),
Camus
p h i l o s o p h i c a l musings o r t e a c h him v a l u a b l e
i n L'Envers
L'Etranger
Algeria.
sound,
i n him c e r t a i n
about
f r o m 1935 t o 1940,
harmony w i t h h i s n a t u r a l
p e r i o d , man e x p e r i e n c e s
of h i s senses:
of h i s career,
3 -
bouleverse
et
je m o r d a i s dans l e f r u i t
de s e n t i r
moi q u i c o m p t a i s ,
et l e s i l e n c e
j e m'em-
son jus sucre
et
n i l e monde, mais
q u i de l u i a. moi f a i s a i t
"''The d a t e s r e f e r r i n g t o Camus' works i n t h i s i n w h i c h t h e work was w r i t t e n .
thesis
deja.
fort.... seulement
naitre
1'amour.
indicate the
year
2' V a r i o u s e s s a y s i n L E t e , w r i t t e n f r o m 1939 t o 1953, show t h e d e v e l o p ment o f Camus' a t t i t u d e t o w a r d s man and n a t u r e i n t h e f i r s t t h r e e p e r i o d s o f h i s work. 3 A l b e r t Camus, N o c e s , f i r s t e d i t i o n , ( P a r i s , 1 9 3 9 ) , p . 2 9 . 1
D u r i n g the second p e r i o d , attitude
i n Camus' oe u v r e i s t h a t
Caligula,
o f man i n e x i l e
from n a t u r e .
t h e hero i s p r e o c c u p i e d w i t h the a b s u r d .
(1942-1943),
the heroine
o f b i r t h and p o v e r t y . because
from 1940 t o 1952, t h e p r e d o m i n a n t
of a plague.
i s e x i l e d from n a t u r e
In La Peste At l e a s t
(1947),
I n Le M a l e n t e n d u
s i m p l y by
the c i t y
two e s s a y s i n L ' E t e
depict
exile
I n 1948,
from the beauties
with " L ' E x i l of nature
isolated
man's
In the
i s r e d u c e d t o a mere s y m b o l o f v i t a l i t y a n d v i r t u e ,
modern man has l o s t . plete
circumstances
o f Oran i s
" L e s A m a n d i e r s " (1940) and " L ' E x i l o d ' H e l e n e " ( 1 9 4 8 ) . nature
In
exile:
former,
both o f which
d ' H e l e n e " , man i s i n com-
as r e p r e s e n t e d
by G r e e k
civilization. Two e v e n t s ful
i n particular
i n t e r l u d e o f Camus' e a r l y
a f t e r t h e war b e g a n , in
it.
U n t i l then,
seem t o have
life:
he must
worse
were t h e i n s t i t u t i o n s
i n certain
cases,
To s u p p r e s s t h e s e b u t c h e r s
II
use o f f o r c e
part
was j u s t i f i e d . by t h e N a z i
was n e c e s s a r y
avait
fallu
se m e t t r e en r e g i e
camps.-
and e x c u s a b l e .
innocent
savoir,
qu'un s o u v e n i r . . . .
nous e t i o n s
maintenant
L'Ete
(Paris,
1954),
p . 148.
avec l a n u i t ,
life
la
close
beaute
D'abord innocents coupables
Far
dictator-
and h i s i n e v i t a b l e i n v o l v e m e n t i n w a r :
vouloir....
Camus,
somehow t a k e
i n the concentration
he n o t e d t h e end o f h i s e a r l y
du j o u r n ' e t a i t le
it
of v i o l e n c e operated
s h i p and t h e mass murder t h e y p e r p e t r a t e d
nature
Soon
he had been f i r m l y opposed t o v i o l e n c e o f a n y
but now he saw t h a t ,
to
peace-
World War I I and i l l n e s s .
Camus r e a l i z e d t h a t
kind;
About t h i s t i m e ,
destroyed the
sans l e
sans
Wot o n l y t h e war but i l l n e s s in
Camus'
a t t i t u d e towards n a t u r e .
s t r i c k e n by t u b e r c u l o s i s . forced to convalesce. seemed c l o s e
was r e s p o n s i b l e f o r a change
A l r e a d y i n 1930,
I n 1942,
he was s t r i c k e n a g a i n by i t a n d
At t h i s p o i n t i n h i s l i f e ,
by t o Camus.
His illness
t h e m e a n i n g and p u r p o s e o f h i s l i f e .
l a force
d e a t h must have
probably l e d him to I n any c a s e ,
y o u t h f u l exuberance t e m p o r a r i l y : " . . . u n e grave visoirement
he had been
re-assess
i t destroyed h i s
maladie m'ota p r o -
de v i e q u i , e n m o i , t r a n s f i g u r a i t
tout...."
5
5 and f i l l e d " h i m w i t h " l a p e u r et l e
decouragement".
Unable t o j o i n t h e army f o r m e d i c a l r e a s o n s , i n s t e a d a member o f t h e R e s i s t a n c e
Camus became
Movement a n d , i n 1944,
co-director
o f i t s newspaper C o m b a t . The l a t t e r
part
o f 1952 u n t i l
r e t u r n o f man t o n a t u r e . Two s h o r t change i n a t t i t u d e Tipasa"
(1952)
i n nature, original
i n L'Ete
t o w a r d s t h e m a n - n a t u r e theme.
sensing that
i l l u s t r a t e Camus' They a r e " R e t o u r a.
(1953).
he had moved f a r away f r o m h i s s o u r c e
Camus made a s p e c i a l t r i p t o A l g e r i a i n s e a r c h o f h i s
inspiration.
l'ancienne
essays
and " L a Mer a u p l u s p r e s "
I n 1952,
1954-55 s i g n a l s a b r i e f
beaute,
T h e r e he met w i t h s u c c e s s :
un c i e l
jeune...."
I n 1954 came a r e t r e a t and a t r i p t o I t a l y ,
6
from p o l i t i c a l
e v i d e n c e o f Camus'
Camus,
L ' E n v e r s et l ' e n d r o i t
Camus,
L'Ete,
p . 157.
(Paris,
"Je retrou.vais i c i
and l i t e r a r y
continued desire
1935/36),
p . 19.
life,
- 6 -
in this his
p e r i o d t o escape t h e i n v o l v e m e n t s o f Europe and t o
y o u t h f u l joy i n nature. L a Chute (1956)
p e r i o d and man's most It influence the
and L a Femme a d u l t e r e
complete
his
exile
which l e d t o t h i s most
hostile
from
(1953)
mark t h e
last
nature.
i s i m p o s s i b l e t o s t a t e w h e t h e r t h e r e was a n y s i n g l e
reception
he r e c e i v e d
c a u s e o f deep d i s a p p o i n t m e n t . to
re-rcapture
pessimistic
p e r i o d o f Camus.
i n A l g e r i a i n January
Perhaps
1956 was a
When he p u b l i c l y a p p e a l e d f o r a t r u c e
e n d t h e A l g e r i a n w a r , he was booed by many o f h i s c o m p a t r i o t s . return
d'Algerie,
from A l g e r i a ,
he wrote t o G i l l i b e r t :
assez d e s e s p e r e . . . .
C'est
"Je suis
On
rentre
pour moi un malheur p e r s o n n e l . "
7
7
Theatre, 1962),
p.
recits, x
x
n o u v e l l e s d ' A l b e r t Camus, e d . Roger Q u i l l i o t x
v
i
.
-
(Paris,
CHAPTER I Mediterranean In the
work o f Camus, t h e
c e r n i n g the
relationship
with nature.
At l e a s t
t h r e e major
volumes,
one
L'Etranger.
work o f f i c t i o n , 1935
to
The and
1936,
ces
as
place
from t h i s
preface to just
the
et
this
l'endroit
attitude:
and N o c e s , Camus'
l'endroit
and
early
little
i n s p i r a t i o n and the
collection,
They r e l a t e h i s
written
before
we have
life.
s e m i n a l work i n h i s
1935
experien-
and
by t h e
truths
career:
it
is
author
In r e t r o s p e c t ,
first
i n 1954
his death,
book as a t e s t i m o n y
valuable
in
the
communion.
single, statement
of t h i s
were w r i t t e n
communion w i t h n a t u r e ,
two y e a r s
of nature i n h i s
dous v a l u e
con-
man i n communion
They a l l b e l o n g t o
i n L'Envers
which a r i s e
p u b l i s h e d i n 1958,
the
et
be s t u d i e d
1940.
essays
most i m p o r t a n t
is
works i l l u s t r a t e
L'Envers
a c h i l d and y o u t h i n c l o s e
The
is
a t t i t u d e to
when Camus was o n l y t w e n t y - t w o .
thoughts
and
first
between man and n a t u r e
two a u t o b i o g r a p h i c a l
period,
Summer
perhaps on t h e
the
meaning
Camus s e e s t h e
of his taught
"...L'Envers
and
et
tremen-
original him.
Indeed,
l'Endroit.
it
dont
8 on v o i t
les
traces
dans t o u t
Most a r t i s t s life-long truth believes.
dans
que
je
L'Envers,
sais
^ibid.,
p.
13.
pp.
fait
ensuite...."
source of i n s p i r a t i o n ,
them t h r o u g h o u t
their
career,
a Camus
be f o u n d i n L ' E n v e r s : que ma s o u r c e e s t
ce monde de p a u v r e t e et
SCamus,
j'ai
a particular
which s t i m u l a t e s
H i s i s to
Pour moi,
have
ce
29-30.
dans L ' E n v e r s
de l u m i e r e
ou j ' a i
et
l'Endroit,
longtemps
vecu....
-
T h i s i s the world o f h i s childhood and youth.
85 -
T h i s "monde de
pauvrete" centres around t h e small f i l t h y d w e l l i n g where he grew up i n the care o f h i s grandmother and mother.
T h i s "monde...de
lumiere" r e f e r s t o the sun-drenched beaches o f A l g e r i a where he played l o n g hours as a c h i l d , and the o l i v e - t r e e s on the parched h i l l s o f Majorca and I t a l y , which he v i s i t e d as a young man. Camus claims t h a t , years afterwards, i t was the memory o f t h i s "monde...de lumiere" which i n s p i r e d him t o r e v o l t against the v i o l e n c e and i n j u s t i c e done t o men.
He wanted a l l men t o be free
from oppression, so that they might enjoy the "lumiere" as he had. His r e v o l t s , he w r i t e s , " f u r e n t presque toujours...des r e v o l t e s pour tous, et pour que l a v i e de tous s o i t elevee dans l a lumiere. Although daily l i f e ,
r e v o l t would l a t e r upset the e q u i l i b r i u m o f h i s
f o r the moment Camus was " . . . p l a c e a. mi-distance de 11
l a misere
et du s o l e i l " . During h i s childhood and youth, nature was Camus* most
v i t a l interest.
I t aroused i n him an " a p p e t i t desordonne de
12 vivre" with such
which remained with him a l l h i s l i f e ,
but never again
intensity. In a d d i t i o n t o arousing a tremendous " j o i e de v i v r e "
i n Camus, nature a l s o consoled him f o r the discomforts o f poverty he s u f f e r e d .
He had the sun, the sea, the sky —- what more could
he ask o f l i f e ? ^Camus, L'Envers, ^ibid.,
p. 14.
12 ibid.,
p. 27.
pp. 13-14.
Nor
does he envy anyone.
m a t e r i a l goods. 1954,
He h i m s e l f has never d e s i r e d
In f a c t , even when p r o s p e r i t y came h i s way i n
he s t a t e d : "Bien que j e v i v e maintenant sans l e s o u c i du , 1 3
lendemain, done en p r i v i l e g i e , je ne s a i s pas posseder."
For
Camus the a c q u i s i t i o n o f m a t e r i a l goods means a l o s s o f l i b e r t y ; one
becomes a s l a v e t o possessions.
liberty.
Rather, Camus t r e a s u r e s h i s
I t a f f o r d s him f a r g r e a t e r joys than any possessions
the joys o f a l i f e c l o s e t o nature. Pendant hurt j o u r s , i l y a longtemps, j ' a i vecu comble des biens de ce monde: nous dormions sans t o i t , sur une plage, j e me n o u r r i s s a i s de f r u i t s et j e passais l a moitie 14 de mes journees
dans une eau deserte.
In "Entre o u i et non", the second essay i n L'Enve'rs, Camus, now a youth, r e t u r n s home a f t e r a short absence.
Seated
i n a cafe i n the Arab quarter he r e c a l l s some moments from the past.
Two aspects i n p a r t i c u l a r are o f i n t e r e s t i n t h i s short
essay.
Here i s an example o f the importance o f nature t o Camus
as a c h i l d , as w e l l as the f i r s t
instance o f a scene i n nature
i n d u c i n g a mood and arousing various thoughts i n the person who beholds i t . Camus remembers summer evenings long ago when the workers used t o s i t on t h e i r b a l c o n i e s . had no balcony, to
sat outside t h e i r house i n s t e a d .
gaze long hours at the sky.
13 Camus, L'Envers, p. 18. 1 4
ibid.,
The Camus f a m i l y , who
pp. 17-18.
They used
For the r i c h , Camus notes, the
would
-
sky i s
but a n a t u r a l b o o n ,
...au
bas de l ' e c h e l l e ,
une g r a c e s a n s ' p r i x . des
le
ciel
Nuits
reprend tout
d'ete,
mysteres
son
on
sens:
crepitaient
etoiles!
In a rare l y r i c a l
outburst,
strongly reminiscent Prom t h e on t h e boat
but
walls.
of the
cafe,
"...le
sky i n a v o c a b u l a r y
Romantics.
Camus watches t h e
The a i r t u r n s
sounds f r o m t h e
waves:
he p r a i s e s t h e
sea.
sun cast
c o o l s u d d e n l y , and t h e
Far
off,
he h e a r s
red
reflections
w h i s t l e of. a
t h e vague rumble o f
monde s o u p i r e v e r s moi dans un rythme l o n g et
m'apporte
16 l indifference
et
f
For
l a t r a n q u i l i t e de ce
Camus and h i s
characters,twilight
mood o f t r a n q u i l i t y and i n d i f f e r e n c e . above and beyond t h e It
is
to
take
daily
It
any s t a n d t o w a r d s l i f e
life.
is
—
is,
pas".
always induces
of d a i l y
man does not
or death.
life.
feel
same c o n c e p t
obliged
D u r i n g t h i s moment,
man g l i m p s e s a d e e p e r r e a l i t y t h a n t h a t
T h i s i s the
a
a t i m e when man i s
p r e o c c u p a t i o n s and s t r e s s e s
an h o u r between y e s and n o ; t h a t
suspended from t i m e ,
q u i ne meurt
as t h a t
of
his
h e l d by H e n r i B e r g s o n , 17
and at
least
one w r i t e r
both b e l i e v e d t h a t the those
15 16 1
Then,
the
Camus,
L Envers, p.
ibid.,
p.
f
of l i f e
are
c o n s c i o u s mind i s the true
In t h i s
63.
62. To t h e
Lighthouse
routine
r e l a x e d and one i s
reality.
They
apprehended d u r i n g
suddenly suspended from d a i l y
i n t u i t what i s t i m e l e s s ,
' See V i r g i n i a Woolf, 7
real truths
moments when one i s
and c o n c e r n s . to
i n f l u e n c e d by h i m , V i r g i n i a W o o l f .
(London^916962).
case,
able Camus
10
-
-
a p p r e h e n d s two t r u t h s :
firstly,
o f pure emotion i n o n e ' s the
life
he p e r c e i v e s t h a t
which are
never
scenes o f c h i l d h o o d r e c a l l e d h e r e .
p e o p l e may want t o
die,
because
t h e r e are
forgotten,
11
moments
for
example:
S e c o n d l y , he u n d e r s t a n d s why
" . . . a u regard
d'une
certaine
trans-
18 parence
de l a v i e , In
records Isles,
"Amour de v i v r e " ,
d'importance".
the
f o u r t h essay
various p s y c h o l o g i c a l experiences i n particular
with nature that
plus r i e n n'a
he i s
at
here that
P a l m a and I b i z a .
sometimes
some o b j e c t
quarter
of the
example.
cathedral
i n Palma,
Balearic
So deep i s h i s communion
Camus has t h e
h i s walk at
S i g h t and s m e l l a r e
odeurs d ' o m b r e . . . . "
he had i n t h e
o r phenomenon i n t h e
s c e n e i n w h i c h he d e s c r i b e s
i n L ' E n v e r s . Camus
pantheistic
illusion
natural world.
noon a r o u n d t h e
The
deserted
Majorca, provides a s t r i k i n g
c o n f u s e d at
first:
"...les
rues
aux
19
T h e n , he has t h e s e n s a t i o n o f m e l t i n g " . . . d a n s 19 c e t t e o d e u r de s i l e n c e . . . " w h i c h i s s u e s f r o m t h e c o u r t - y a r d s and empty s t r e e t s . At l a s t : ...je
p e r d a i s mes l i m i t e s ,
pas,
ou ce v o l d ' o i s e a u x
haut
des murs e n c o r e The
yet
little
another t r u t h .
stones
of the
In the
colonnade.
L'Envers, p.
1 9
ibid.,
p.
2 0
ibid.,
pp.
dont
110. 110-111.
71.
p l u s que l e
j'apercevais
son de mes
1'ombre
sur
le
ensoleille.^
Gothic c l o i s t e r
18 Camus,
n'etais
garden,
o f San F r a n c i s c o
the
o f f e r s Camus
sun s h i n e s o n t h e
Women draw water
from the
well.
yellow At
the
-
sound o f the flight that
d r y b e a t i n g o f wings f r o m a f l o c k o f p i g e o n s t a k i n g
Camus has a s u d d e n happy f e e l i n g
this
moment,
like
suspended from t i m e . break i t s to
the
This
spell.
the
moment o f t w i l i g h t i n t h e
Expectantly,
Maybe t h e
La e t a i t p o u r ce
is
tout
He r e a l i z e s cafe
stop i n f l i g h t
But n o , t h e
spell
Therefore,
peut-etre are
let
young Camus:
precious,
s i m p l y because life
they are
and c u l t i v a t e
Camus p e r c e i v e s
the
e v e n i n g draw n e a r .
In the
de c r e p u s c u l e ,
distance,
regnait
little
from h i m .
This
experiences,
22
a soft
a l o n g day spent The h i l l s
o u r "amour
of time;
to
nature,
descend i n t o
arms o f a
" d a n s ce et
"amour de
court
wind-
instant
de m e l a n c o l i q u e . . . . "
Camus r e a l i z e s t h a t
any moment i t
will
slip
his away
r e a l i z a t i o n i n s p i r e s i n h i m a hunger f o r more s u c h
f o r more
Camus,
L'Envers, p.
ibid.,
p.
114.
seem t o
de f u g a c e
o f San F r a n c i s c o ,
i s part
close
breeze t u r n s the
quelque chose
cloister
communion w i t h n a t u r e
21
after
once more h i s g r e a t
The e v e n i n g l i g h t becomes g r e e n i s h :
As i n t h e
not
i
he watches
mill.
fall
m'echapper....
us t r e a s u r e
Seated i n a c a f e ,
sea.
and
mon amour de v i v r e : une p a s s i o n s i l e n c i e u s e
qua a l l a i t
At I b i z a ,
the
to
continues.
de v i v r e " .
vivre".
is
f o r some a c t i o n
a moment o f r e v e l a t i o n f o r t h e
C e r t a i n moments i n l i f e eternal.
he w a i t s
pigeons w i l l
ground with f o l d e d wings.
experience
of l u c i d i t y .
living.
112.
-
The M e d i t e r r a n e a n c o u n t r i e s nificance trouver
f o r Camus t h r o u g h o u t
i n general
his career:
have s p e c i a l
"J admire
qu'on
1
au b o r d de l a M e d i t e r r a n e e des c e r t i t u d e s
et
des
sig-
puisse
regies
23 de v i e . . . . " i n the
In these
beauties
countries
of nature.
he l e a r n s t o
He l e a r n s
as
love l i f e ,
well to
"des
ecrases
i s then that
perhaps
h i s most
important
death are
i n e x t r i c a b l y one,
desespoir
de v i v r e . "
"II
lesson i n l i f e :
for
a short
essay
time,
clearly
limited to
shows t h a t
nature
Andre G i d e ,
Italy,
countries
is
south to the
that
life
nature
brief:
"...le
This
i s indeed Unlike
variety
of
landscapes,
sunny l a n d s c a p e s
of
Algeria,
Any d e s c r i p t i o n ; o f n a t u r e
in
other
a response
or Spain.
sans
C e n t r a l Europe
i n s u n - l i t Mediterranean c o u n t r i e s .
to
the
petit
a great
he and
Mediterranean.
Camus' s e n s i t i v i t y t o
who seemed s e n s i t i v e t o
Camus o n l y f e e l s Greece,
then returns
Camus v i s i t s
In
paysages
n ' y a pas d ' a m o u r de v i v r e
I n " L a Mort dans l ' a m e " ,
revel
death.
landscapes
learns
s u c h as t h o s e o f t h e B a l e a r i c I s l e s , 23 23 de s o l e i l " , he g l i m p s e s " N a d a " . It
fear
to
cimetiere
g o t h i q u e de B a u t z e n , 24
le
rouge e c l a t a n t
de s e s
geraniums,
and l a c k i n g i n e n t h u s i a s m : impitoyables as
it
for
is
et
ingrates."
i n some o f h i s l a t e r
example.
23 Camus, 2 4
ibid.,
"...des
L'Envers, p.
94.
p.
113.
Tbis
et
l e matin b l e u "
or
sombre
l o n g u e s p l a i n e s de S i l e s i e * i s true
i n " L a Mort dans
l'ame"
w o r k s , Le M a l e n t e n d u and L a C h u t e ,
13
-
- 14 -
In the preface t o L E n v e r s Camus notes: 1
On trouve dans l e monde beaucoup d i n j u s t i c e s , maas i l 1
en est une dont on ne p a r l e jamais, q u i est c e l l e du , . . 25 clxmat. F o r t u n a t e l y , he h i m s e l f has never had t o s u f f e r , t h i s
injustice
as have those who dwell i n the h o r r i b l e suburbs o f France's cities.
There, a d r e a d f u l climate i s a l l i e d t o poverty i n what 26
i s t r u l y " 1 * i n j u s t i c e derniere, et l a plus r e v o l t a n t e " . a c l i m a t e Camus experiences i n Prague.
Such
Here, he f i n d s no soft
breezes nor murmuring sea, but only museums, cathedrals, and a r t galleries.
These o f f e r no comfort whatsoever
lonely soul.
t o h i s desperately
The sun alone i n t h i s c i t y makes l i f e
the young Camus.
bearable f o r
Each night when i t disappears below the h o r i z o n
f e a r g r i p s him a g a i n , "a 1*heure ou l e s o l e i l 27
declinait...la
panique me r e p r e n a i t " . Only once d u r i n g h i s stay i n Prague does nature almost d e l i v e r him from h i s anguish.
I t i s a nature, however, that i s
s t r o n g l y reminiscent o f the Mediterranean, i n p a r t i c u l a r the Balearic Isles.
I n no way i s i t d i s t i n c t i v e o f Prague. 28
as i n "Amour de v i v r e "
Again,
, Camus i s i n a c l o i s t e r at t h e t w i l i g h t
hour, and, again, he watches a f l o c k o f pigeons take f l i g h t .
In
s h o r t , Camus i s only s e n s i t i v e t o the nature i n Prague which reminds him o f h i s beloved Mediterranean c l i m a t e . Moreover, h i s 25 Camus, L'Envers, p. 16. 2
^ i b i d . , p. 17.
2 7
i b i d . , pp. 86-87.
2 8
i b i d . , p. 111.
- 15 -
one e x p e r i e n c e quite
of closeness
imprecise terms.
to
nature
He d e s c r i b e s ,
i n Prague
is
expressed
f o r example,
in
"quelque
chose
29 ...comme
un p a r f u m d ' h e r b e s
et
One day i n P r a g u e ,
de
neant".
Camus* l o n e l i n e s s
A confrontation
with death
makes him r e c a l l
living,
expression
of t h i s
land. is
and t h e
An unknown b o a r d e r
found dead.
over the
dead man l i e s ,
p r o j e c t s the bouleversa. Lui at
etait the
Outside the
Elle etait
mort."^
certain
Alors,
je
that
29
seen i n the
episode,
he t o o
Camus,
will
soirs
guard:
une v r a i e
o f Camus
is
There,
"Cette
shining
Camus i s
it
did his
a ma v i l l e ,
room the
full
vie.... of
despair
neighbour.
au b o r d de
tant,
light
l u m i e r e me
l u m i e r e de
d ' e t e que j ' a i m e
ibid.,
p.
92.
ibid.,
p.
93.
s y m b o l i z e d by t h e
shadow on t h e life
is
confrontation
die;
L'Envers,
30
3 1
light
wall.
h i s room,
p e n s a i desesperement
d e a t h a w a i t s man,
above
that
native
tres
la
doux
l a lumiere v e r t e . . . . " ^
and d e a t h ,
the
body and i t s
Returning to
aux
to
joy i n
of his
h a l f - o p e n door l e a d i n g to the
authentique,
F o r Camus, l i f e ,
certain
nature
h o t e l room n e x t
d e a t h w h i c h a w a i t s him as
Mediterranee, dans
joy i n the
Camus watches t h e
shadow o f t h e
crisis.
h i s tremendous
That morning, a c o p p e r - c o l o u r e d
city.
where t h e
i n the
reaches a
p.
this
87.
wall,
copper-coloured
are
extremely
related.
precious
to
w i t h d e a t h makes Camus
makes him f e e l
despair.
Yet,
light,
Because him.
In
realize at
the
- 16
same t i m e , he
remembers h i s g r e a t "amour de v i v r e "
and t h e
ooy
he
e x p e r i e n c e d immersed i n t h e b e a u t i e s o f n a t u r e i n A l g e r i a . --•'
Soon a f t e r
Prague.
h i s experience i n the h o t e l ,
On t h e t r a i n ,
p a s s i n g t h r o u g h Germany and
Camus l e a v e s Poland,
he
d e s c r i b e s v a r i o u s l a n d s c a p e s , but t h e y a r e — u n l i k e t h o s e o f t h e Mediterranean
—
g r i m and
Un v o l p e s a n t et
gloomy.
d'oiseaux passait
g r a s , au-dessus
des t e r r e s g l u a n t e s . . . . l a
t e n d r e et g r a v e . . . s e s . . . . 32 f r u x t s axgres. T h e s e l a n d s c a p e s do not
dans l e m a t i n
chemins b o r d e s
Moravie
de p r u n i e r s aux
penetrate his soul;
t o them, a mere o b s e r v e r .
brumeux
he
i s always
They n e i t h e r a r o u s e
an
h i s emotions
outsider nor h i s
mind. A l t h o u g h Camus was t h e good e f f e c t s t h a t he
was
isolated
speak.
Now,
he
la
way,
change o f scene
i n a foreign feels
than before h i s t r i p . in this
this
unhappy i n P r a g u e , had
he a p p r e c i a t e s upon him.
l a n d , h i s s o u l was
purged,
Because so t o
even more r e c e p t i v e t o n a t u r e ' s b e a u t i e s A change o f " c l i m a t e "
w r i t e s Camus: " . . . l e
p l u s tendre et l a p l u s f r a g i l e
i s often
moindre a r b r e i s o l e des
images."
beneficial devient
33
32 Camus, L ' E n v e r s , p . 94. C o n t r a s t with the f l i g h t o f pigeons from t h e c l o i s t e r i n "Amour de v i v r e " , p . 111. In the l a t t e r essay, the b i r d s seem t o r e p r e s e n t s e r e n i t y and p e a c e . Here, the f l i g h t i s "pesant", that i s , foreboding. ibid.,
p.
88.
-
- 17 -
The second part of the essay "La Mort dans l'ame" deals with Camus* v i s i t
to Vicenza i n northern I t a l y . *
by a countryside " f a i t
a mon
ame"
Here,
surrounded
34 , Camus f o r g e t s h i s l o n e l i n e s s
and despair i n an intense enjoyment of nature's b e a u t i e s .
His
enjoyment i s evident i n the d e s c r i p t i o n s of the I t a l i a n countrys i d e and Vicenza i n p a r t i c u l a r .
These d e s c r i p t i o n s provide an
e x c e l l e n t i n d i c a t i o n of h i s deep s e n s i t i v i t y t o nature. In t h i s essay, nature i s present i n such that i t seems to come a l i v e f o r Camus.
In a C i n d e r e l l a - l i k e
image he d e p i c t s the end of the day: " . . . l a 35 e n f u i e , me
laissant
sa douceur."
The
intensity
journee s'est
p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n of
l i g h t i s even more e x c i t i n g : Toute l a l u m i e r e . . . d e v a l a i t l a pente des
collines,
h a b i l l a i t l e s cypres et l e s o l i v i e r s , l e s maisons blanches et l e s t o i t s rouges, de l a plus chaleureuse des robes, puis a l l a i t se perdre dans l a p l a i n e q u i 36 fumait au
soleil.
Camus r e a c t s t o nature p r i m a r i l y through h i s s i g h t , as can be seen i n the above d e s c r i p t i o n .
Often, however, the
other senses come i n t o play more s t r o n g l y .
Years afterwards,
for
example, these s i x days at Vicenza come back t o Camus "dans 37 34 parfum de romarin". un At times, even h i s senses become Camus, L'Envers, p. 95. 35 " i b i d . , p. 98. 3 6
i b i d . , p.
99.
37 i b i d . , p. 95. Cf. Proust's s i m i l a r use of "memoire i n v o l o n t a i r e " i n the famous i n c i d e n t of the " p e t i t e madeleine". Marcel Proust, A l a Recherche du temps perdu: Du Cote 6hgg Iwann ( P a r i s , 1954), I, 65-69.
- 18 -
confused i n a b e a u t i f u l image of "correspondances":
" . . . l e parfum
38 d'eaux et d ' e t o i l e s . . . . "
I t i s sound, however, which f u r n i s h e s
the l e i t m o t i f o f the scene: " . . . l a f l u t e a i g r e et tendre des 38 cigales...."
The c h i r p i n g o f the cicadas g i v e s depth and
d i s t a n c e t o the scene. c l u c k i n g o f hens.
F i r s t , i t i s heard i n t e r s p e r s e d with the
Then, Camus hears them f a r ! o f f i n the d i s t a n c e .
As he walks along, they stop one by one.
Soon, a l l are q u i e t .
As
he passes by, they s t a r t up i n arcrescendo u n t i l they are i n f u l l voice a g a i n . The f i g u r a t i v e d e s c r i p t i o n o f nature found i n these pages i s an important i l l u s t r a t i o n of Camus' a b i l i t y t o commune with the elements
and h i s joy i n doing so. But, he w r i t e s ,
...je separe mal mon amour de l a lumiere et de l a v i e d'avec mon secret attachement pour 1*experience 39 desesperee.... The l a t t e r experience i s that o f d i s p a i r at imminent death.
Just
as Camus sees landscapes at Vicenza which arouse i n him an "amour de v i v r e " , so he sees others which communicate despair t o him. 40
They represent death. —
Here i s an example o f such a landscape
t h e a d j e c t i v e s i n p a r t i c u l a r convey the i d e a o f s t e r i l i t y and
absence o f l i f e :
"rasees", "crouteuses", " b r u l e e s " , " d e p o u i l l e e " :
...dans ces p l a i n e s t o u r b i l l a n t e s au s o l e i l et dans l a p o u s s i e r e , dans ces c o l l i n e s rasees et toutes crouteuses 38 Camus, L'Envers, p. 97. 3 9
4 0
i b i d . , p. 101. F o r s i m i l a r landscapes see p.13 o f t h e s i s .
-
d'herbes
brulees,
ce
que j e t o u c h a i s
uhe forme d e p o u i l l e e et . . • ..41 p o r t a i s en m o i . The
themes
sans a t t r a i t
of l i f e
l'ame"are
repeated
i n the
its
title
to the
and
" L a Mort dans l ' a m e " ,
are
inseparable
"le
grand courage,
du n e a n t
and d e a t h p r e s e n t
essay " L ' E n v e r s et
collection.
In t h i s
essay,
c'etait que
i n " L a Mort
as
de t e n i r
les
dans
which g i v e s
i n "Amour de v i v r e " , life
and i t s
For him, both c o n s t i t u t e
encore
je
l'endroit",
Camus c o n c l u d e s t h a t
from d e a t h . c'est
du d o i g t ,
joys
reality.
yeux o u v e r t s
sur
Thus, la
42 l u m i e r e comme s u r l a m o r t . " when e i t h e r is
life
There are
p r o l o n g e d f o r months o r y e a r s ,
who
built
she
saw o n l y d e a t h .
death
is
moments i n l i f e ,
o £ d e a t h p r e o c c u p i e s man.
h e r tomb b e f o r e
forgotten
she
This
is
as
died.
i n the Then,
"l'envers
i n an e c s t a t i c
Sometimes,
that
case o f the t u r n i n g her
du monde".
however, moment
old lady back on
As F o r
communion w i t h n a t u r e :
life,
others, "A cette
43 heure t o u t at
mon royaume e s t
h i s window, he d e s c r i b e s
on t h e the
white c u r t a i n s .
de ce monde"
s u c h a moment.
The f a i n t
window by a b r e e z e .
This
that
moment,
Camus f e e l s
suis-je
p l u s v r a i que l o r s q u e
41 Camus,
L'Envers,
ibid.,
p.
125.
44i b i d . , ibid.,
p. p.
123. 124.
4 2
4 3
p.
99.
,
is
scent
je
Camus w r i t e s .
" l ' e n d r o i t du m o n d e " .
suis le
Seated
The sun and shadow p l a y
of d r i e d herbs
he i s most t r u e t o
19
is
wafted i n
At s u c h a
h i m s e l f : " . . . q u a n d done
monde?"
44
-
The with in
nature
Noces
is
and
1936 as
second
work
Noces.
The
i n nature.
results
in
essays
in this
immediately after
1937,
in L'Envers,
elements
b y Camus w h i c h i l l u s t r a t e s
a merging
Camus
enters
In
the
later
or
marriage
collection
L'Envers into
work,
man i n
et
were
harmony
written
l'endroit.
In
communion w i t h
various
this
sometimes
communion
with nature.
Then,
Camus
enjoys
45 "un
jour
de
noces
From victions. is
to
"joie of
de
in
wind, and
life,
them
as
at
an
Noces
believes
first
Secondly,
This
described
despair
he
horror
living.
monde".
communion i n
the
vivre". its
le
that
and i n p a r t i c u l a r
a Tipasa",
death,
joy
his
Firstly,
enjoy
"Noces
avec
in
and
death
Vent
are
equilibrium
he
of
is
as
well
Italian
Germaine Camus Barres,
Camus,
is
Bree
following both
Noces,
of
fearis,
that
an
writes great
whom a r e
1939),
he
in
the
integral
attitudes.
his
of
in
great
his the
living
Camus This
("L'Ete
sees balance
a
Desert").
Noces
adept
combining
22.
of
joy
Chateaubriand
p.
d'homme"
possible.
part
emotions,
("Le
con-
consciousness
masters, at
major
communion w i t h
believes
landscapes that
much a s
Although
interdependent
Algerian race,
i n various
as
description
contrary
p e r s o n i f i e d i n the
two
p r i n c i p a l "metier
from h i s
is
as
a
Djemila".
entirely
derives
nature,
believes
arises a
his
is
finality,
belief
"Le
essay,
Camus
and
landscapes
Alger"),
-
21
-
and t h e e m o t i o n s t h e y evoke w i t h m e d i t a t i o n s on man's fate.
4 6
The f i r s t
e s s a y i n Hoces opens w i t h a d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e
town o f T i p a s a a n d t h e s u r r o u n d i n g c o u n t r y s i d e . c o u n t r y s i d e has a deep e m o t i o n a l e f f e c t later
t o v a r i o u s t h o u g h t s about
d e s c r i p t i o n s of nature
life.
Initially,
this
o n Camus w h i c h l e a d s h i m Unlike the sentimental
found i n C h a t e a u b r i a n d and B a r r e s ,
Bree
46 notes,
Camus' d e s c r i p t i o n s a r e " v i o l e n t l y s e n s u o u s "
tone.
The extreme d e g r e e
an i m p o r t a n t in
o f sensuousness
i n emotional
i n "Noces a T i p a s a "
i n d i c a t i o n o f Camus' deep c a p a c i t y
is
to lose himself
nature. In the f i r s t
colour.
e s s a y he i s p a r t i c u l a r l y s e n s i t i v e
Everything i s coloured.
Camus o b s e r v e s
" l a mer c u i r a s s e e
to
A p p r o a c h i n g t h e town o f T i p a s a , d'argent,
le ciel
bleu
ecru...la
47 masse n o i r e du C h e n o u a . . . l e v i l l a g e . . . g a u n e et b l e u . - ' ! colour at
i s always n o t e d ,
often i t
i s not v e r y p r e c i s e .
Although The f l o w e r s
T i p a s a a r e a l m o s t a l l r e d o r a shade o f r e d : ...des
bougainvilles rosats...des
de l o n g s i r i s
46
rouges...les
h i b i s c u s au r o u g e . . .
bleus...fleurs violettes, 48 geraniums r o u g e s .
jaunes
et
Camus, (New B r u n s w i c k , 1 9 5 9 ) , p . 7 8 . This technique i s c a l l e d " p a y s a g e m o r a l i s e " . I n L e s Mers e t l e s p r i s o n s , e s s a i s u r A l b e r t Camus ( P a r i s , 1 9 5 6 ) , p . 4 9 , Roger Q u i l l i o t n o t e s t h a t R o u s s e a u was one o f t h e f i r s t F r e n c h w r i t e r s t o " c o n f e r e r un s e n s a u p a y s a g e : l a montagne l u i r e v e l a i t l a p u r e t e " . Chateaubriand continued the tradition. " C h e z . e u x , p o u r t a n t , l a m e d i t a t i o n commentait 1 ' e m o t i o n et l a r e d u i s a i t en i d e e s c l a i r e s . Chez C a m u s . . . l a m e d i t a t i o n r e c o u v r e e t r o i t e m e n t l a s e n s a t i o n et s ' y i m b r i g u e . " 47 ^'Camus, 4 8
ibid.,
No6iesyr:pp. 1 1 - 1 2 . p p . 12,
13,
15.
- 22 -
H i b i s c u s and geraniums are not the same shade o f red! "fleurs...rouges"? of
I t must be admitted,
What are
however, that the r e p e t i t i o n
one c o l o u r does give a c e r t a i n v i s u a l i n t e n s i t y to the scene. The
smells too a r e described vaguely.
mentioned s p e c i f i c a l l y : " I a b s i n t h e " . 1
Only one odour i s
Nevertheless, the smells
a s s a u l t the senses very powerfully, so p o w e r f u l l y that Camus pers o n i f i e s them:"...le s o u p i r odorant
et acre de l a t e r r e d'ete en
Algerie." ^ 4
Sounds do not u s u a l l y p l a y an important d e s c r i p t i o n s o f nature.
r o l e i n Camus
There i s only one i n t h i s scene, but i t
i s memorable i n i t s unpleasantness: ..50 de b a i s e r s . "
"...la
mer suce avec un b r u i t
.
Camus observes haze o f s u f f o c a t i n g heat
the colours and scents o f T i p a s a through a and b l i n d i n g l i g h t .
In f a c t , the sun and
i t s e f f e c t s dominate the d e s c r i p t i o n . Again and again, Camus r e f e r s to
them.
In the f i r s t
f i f t e e n l i n e s o f the essay there are s i x
references t o the sun. S i m i l a r references occur l i k e a l e i t m o t i f throughout the scene: le
s o l e i l . . .nous chauffe un s e u l cote du v i s a g e , nous 50 ere regardons l a lumiere descendre du c i e l . . . ...ce c i e l 51 gorge de chaleur.' In the f i r s t three paragraphs o f the essay, Camus i s e s s e n t i a l l y a s p e c t a t o r o f nature.
49
Camus, Noces, p. 12. "*°ibid., p. 13. 51 i b i d . , p. 16.
He observes
the town o f T i p a s a
- 23 -
and i t s n a t u r a l surroundings.
Then, he records h i s impressions i n
terms of c o l o u r and smell i n p a r t i c u l a r .
Upon l e a v i n g the o u t s k i r t s
of the town he notes: "...pour l a derniere f o i s nous sommes spec52 tateurs." As soon as he enters the ruins of T i p a s a Camus i s caught i n the g r i p of nature: " . . . l e grand l i b e r t i n a g e de l a nature et de 53 l a mer...m'accapare tout entier."
In the same way
as nature dominates
the author here, so i t predominates
over the works of men
i n the past.
The
f i n e b u i l d i n g s constructed l o n g ago by the Romans at Tipasa.are
now
i n ruins.
They have become mere stones again i n the vast n a t u r a l
u n i v e r s e : "...et perdant l e p o l i impose par l'homme, 53 rentrees dans l a nature."
JellesJsont
I t should be emphasized, however, t h a t
Camus, here as elsewhere, never completely l o s e s h i m s e l f i n nature. Even i n h i s most profound communion with nature he r e t a i n s a c e r t a i n consciousness of h i s own "Tout i c i me
identity.
Thus, he w r i t e s of T i p a s a :
l a i s s e i n t a c t , je n'abandonne r i e n de moi-meme...."^
4
F i r s t a s p e c t a t o r of nature, then caught Camus now
i n i t s grip,
becomes an a c t i v e p a r t i c i p a t o r i n the n a t u r a l world.
swim i n the sea marks t h i s stage i n h i s r e l a t i o n s h i p to nature.
A For
Camus, the act of swimming i s always the most p e r f e c t expression o f 55
man's union with nature. 52 Camus, Noces, p. 13-14. 5 3
In a h i g h l y sensuous d e s c r i p t i o n the author
i b i d . , p. 15.
54 J
i b i d . , p. 21.
C f . Camus, L'Etranger ( P a r i s , 1957), p. 76, and La Peste ( P a r i s , 1947), pp. 275-278. 5 5
- 24 -
records h i s complete joy i n swimming. his
It i s t o be noted that a l l
senses come a c u t e l y i n t o p l a y : s i g h t , s m e l l , touch, t a s t e and
sound: Entre dans l'eau, c'est l e saisissement, glu
l a montee d'une
f r q i d e et opa&ue, puis l e plongeon dans l e bourdonne-
ment des o r e i l l e s , l e nez coulant et l a bouche amere.... Sur l e r i v a g e , c'est l a chute dans l e s a b l e . . . r e n t r e dans 56 ma pesanteur de c h a i r et d'os,
a b r u t i de
soleil....*'
P a r t s of the d e s c r i p t i o n have strong sensual " . . . l a course de l'eau sur mon
overtones:
corps, c e t t e possession tumultueuse
57
de l'onde par mes —
jambes...."
The
and i n h i s works on the whole —
e a r t h , and i t i s man between them.
who
sea which Camus describes here i s seen i n r e l a t i o n to the
provides the l i n k i n the r e l a t i o n s h i p
E i t h e r he observes the sea from a point on land,
or e l s e he enters the sea i n the act of swimming and returns to the beach to sunbathe.
For Camus, the sea and the earth are two
elements i n the p h y s i c a l world with which man which he can enter i n t o a union. t h i s union of man, I I me
sea and
communes and
major
with
Here i s an excerpt d e s c r i b i n g
earth:
faut e t r e nu et puis plonger dans l a mer,
encore
tout parfume des essences de l a t e r r e , l a v e r c e l l e s - c i dans c e l l e s - l a , et nouer sur ma peau l ' e t r e i n t e pour l a q u e l l e soupirent l e v r e s a. l e v r e s depuis
s i longtemps
l a t e r r e et l a mer."58 S i m i l a r to the joy a r i s i n g from swimming i n the sea i s that
56
Camus, Noces, pp. 19-20.
5 7
i b i d . , p.
19.
5 8
ibid.,
19.
p.
experienced t h e s e two
i n e m b r a c i n g a woman, Camus w r i t e s .
joys
are
merged
into
Indeed,
in
L'Etranger
one when M e u r s a u l t and M a r i a swim and
59 caress
each o t h e r i n the In short,
Tipasa,
its
sea.
three
scenes i n n a t u r e :
surrounding landscape,
an e m o t i o n a l
response
i n Camus.
and t h e
the sea
deserted and s a n d ,
H i s experience
town all
o f them i s
of arouse
always
sensuous. In a d d i t i o n to also
l e a d him t o
s t i m u l a t i n g an e m o t i o n
form c e r t a i n
beliefs.
i n Camus, t h e s e
He w r i t e s :
"A T i p a s a ,
scenes
je
vois
60 e q u i v a u t a. j e c r o i s . . . . ' * I n o t h e r words, t h e n a t u r e w h i c h t h e a u t h o r e x p e r i e n c e s at T i p a s a i s a symbol o f what he b e l i e v e s : Tipasa m'apparait
comme c e s
signifier
indirectement
eux,
temoigne, .,60
elle
et
personnages
un p o i n t
qu'on decrit
de vue s u r
virilement.
le
E l l e est
pour
monde.
Comme
a u j o u r d ' h u i mon
personnage....' There i s
one
belief
i n particular
t h r o u g h h i s communion w i t h n a t u r e at "joie
de v i v r e "
is
Camus e x p r e s s e s h i s
the
essay,
enthused
joy i n l i v i n g ,
w h i c h Camus
T i p a s a : the
an adequate p h i l o s o p h y of
Throughout
joy:
at
" J ' a i m e c e t t e v i e a v e c abandon et
conviction
that
life.
by t h e
and t h e
arrives
beauties of
p r i d e he
feels
v e u x en p a r l e r
nature,
in
avec
this
liberte:
61 elle it
is
vivre
me donne l ' o r g u e i l sufficient de t o u t
Tipasa,
f o r him t o
mon c o r p s
temoigner....
II
•^Camus,
L'Etranger,
pp.
^Camus,
Noces,
6 1
ibid.,
p.
21.
6 2
ibid.,
p.
25.
de ma c o n d i t i o n d'homme."
p.
24.
et
cultivate
this
de t e m o i g n e r
y a l a une 76-77.
joy:
de t o u t
liberte."^
"II
For the me s u f f i t
mon c o e u r .
moment, de
Vivre
-
"Le Tipasa".
Vent a D j e m i l a "
i s a p a r a l l e l essay to
Nature i n both essays
has an e m o t i o n a l e f f e c t
B o t h towns i n s p i r e i n him c e r t a i n c o n v i c t i o n s about are
the
symbols o f t h e s e c o n v i c t i o n s :
Djemila l ' e s t
a l a mort."
63
"Noces
que D j e m i l a j e t t e
le
j'en sais
le silence,
indifference,
les vrais
a la vie,
and j o y i n
l i v i n g w h i l e D j e m i l a s y m b o l i z e s d e a t h and d e s p a i r at
c i e l et
and b o t h
" C e que T i p a s a e s t
Ce g r a n d c r i de p i e r r e
a
on Camus.
life,
Tipasa symbolizes l i f e
26
entre
death: les
bien l a poesie:
montagnes,
lucidite,
s i g n e s du d e s e s p o i r ou de
la
beaute. Even the topography of D j e m i l a i s ville to
morte"
65
and " i n h u m a i n e "
l e a d nowhere,
enfonce entre
and r i s e s
de h a u t e s
foret
Tipasa,
there
brilliant
is
It
up " s u r un p l a t e a u aux c o u l e u r s
montagnes,
son s q u e l e t t e
jaunatre
s u n b e a t s down on D j e m i l a as i t
nothing else
A terrible
which s y m b o l i z e s absence sounds c a n be h e a r d ,
63
"la seems
eteintes, comme une
Quilliot,
Camus,
does on
i n common between t h e s e two t o w n s .
Mers et
Noces,
^ibid.,
p.
35.
ibid.,
p.
43.
^ibid.,
p.
35.
silence of l i f e
reigns instead. rather
f a r - o f f and u n r e a l :
prisons, pi
64
6
s u r r o u n d e d by r a v i n e s .
is
c o l o u r s and i n t o x i c a t i n g s c e n t s o f T i p a s a a r e
from D j e m i l a .
6 6
It
d'Jossements. . . . " Although the
6
,
of death.
67
y\
The
66
suggestive
p..49.
53.
It
than absence
is a
absent silence
of sounds,
for
-
-
...le
son f e u t r e
de l a f l u t e . . . u n p i e t i n e m e n t de
des rumeurs v e n u e s du c i e l . . . u n . 68 aigu.•..' However, element II
the
wind i s t h e
i n nature.
r e a l hero o f t h i s
Like a wild giant
s o u f f l a i t d e p u i s une t r o u e e
accourait
Sans a r r e t ,
un c i r q u e . . . b a i g n a i t l e s
entre
venait
se r e p a n d r e en o r i s
des morts c o n s c i e n t e s ,
c'est
entourait incessants
entrer
sans
d ' u n monde a. jamas
perdu.
le
Et
chant
de D j e m i l a m ' e n f o n c e p l u s 70
l'amertume
de c e t
of Djemila,
conveys w e l l
diminuer l a
des images
the
joie
dans
exaltantes
triste
avant
distance
des
dans
l'ame
ensexgnement. the
wind and t h e
T h r o u g h communion w i t h them,
h o r r i b l e , c e r t a i n and f i n a l . Camus, N o c e s , p p . 3 3 - 3 4 .
ibid.,
en
action.
conscient
collines
6 9
du monde, et
passage
l'accomplissement,
of death.
bondir
forum....
q u i nous s e p a r e
The h i l l s
montagnes...
amas de b l o c s g r e l e s ,
w i n d ' s c o n t i n u a l m o t i o n and v i o l e n t
is
e s s a y and t h e dominant
les
The r e p e t i t i o n o f t h e v e r b a l f o r m i n t h i s
Creer
un c r i
i l s i f f l a i t . . . t o u r n a i t dans
chaque c o l o n n e . . . e t v e n a i t 69 le
sec,
chevres,
animal:
du f o n d de l ' h o r i z o n et
cascades....
sur
claquement
27
71
sun t e a c h
Gamus t h e
lessons
he r e - d i s c o v e r s t h a t
death
M o r e o v e r , Camus b e l i e v e s , ..
p p . 36-37.
70
i b i d . , p . 47. " C r e e r des m o r t s c o n s c i e n t e s " , t h a t i s , make p e o p l e f o r whom d e a t h i s i n e v i t a b l e be c o n s c i o u s o f t h i s d e a t h . This, i n f a c t , i s what C a l i g u l a s e t s out t o do i n t h e p l a y C a l i g u l a . 71 Camus d i s c o v e r e d t h i s thesis.
first
at
Vicenza i n L'Envers. c f .
p.18
of
-
-
man must
be c o n s c i o u s
consciousness
of i t ,
if
he i s t o
of death i s necessary
enjoy l i f e
fully.
In
i n any p h i l o s o p h y o f " j o i e
28
short, de
72 Camus s e e s d e a t h as Yet, But
although i t he r e f u s e s
with the
arouses
to
"une aventure
h o r r i b l e et
h i s i n d i g n a t i o n , he a c c e p t s i t
alleviate
sale". as u n a v o i d a b l e ,
h i s h o r r o r o f d e a t h by d e l u d i n g h i m s e l f
b e l i e f of immortality.
This is
a myth p e r p e t r a t e d
by
73 Christianity because
it
i n the
directs
from e n j o y i n g the Si
je
qu'il
world.
Moreover, i t
a man's t h o u g h t s t o t h e
obstinement s'agit
as much o f l i f e
tous
as
les
72
Camus,
of l i f e
Noces,
p.
is
"plus tard"
du monde,
renohcer
Therefore,
he c a n i n e a c h
In " L e Vent a D j e m i l a " e a c h foment
a h a r m f u l myth
f u t u r e and p r e v e n t s him
a u s s i b i e n de ne pas 74
richesse presente. The p r e s e n t i s a l l t h a t man p o s s e s s e s . experience
is
present:
refuse
c'est
western
a. ma
should 75 "present".
Camus f u r t h e r
he
realizes
e v e n g r e a t e r f o r him because
that
joy i n
he knows he must
41.
73 I n " L ' I n c r o y a n t et l e s C h r e t i e n s " , A c t u e l l e s I , Chroniques1944-1948 ( P a r i s , 1 9 5 0 ) , p . 213, Camus a d d r e s s e s a g r o u p o f D o m i n i c a n s t h u s : " . . . j e ne p a r t a g e pas v o t r e e s p o i r " o f a n o t h e r l i f e . 74 Camus, N o c e s , p . 4 0 . 75 L i k e Don J u a n , who had so many l o v e r s , man s h o u l d t r y t o m u l t i p l y h i s experiences i n l i f e . " . . . c e que Don J u a n met en a c t e , c ' e s t une e t h i q u e de l a q u a n t i t e , au c o n t r a i r e du s a i n t q u i t e n d v e r s l a qualite." Camus, Le Mythe de S i s y p h e ( P a r i s , 1 9 4 2 ) , p p . 1 0 0 - 1 0 1 .
-
- 29 -
d i e ; and because he enjoys l i v i n g so much, death seems a l l the more horrible: ...toute mon 76 vivre.
horreur de mourir t i e n t dans ma
Because horror of death i n c r e a s e s h i s t a s t e s t r o n g attachment
to i t . T h i s attachment
for l i f e ,
de
Camus f e e l s a
he shares with Djemila:
. . . j e s u i v a i s tout l e long de ce pays quelque n etait
jalousie
chose qui
pas a moi, mais de l u i , comme un gout de l a mort 77
1
qui nous e t a i t commun. In the t h i r d essay, "L'Ete a A l g e r " , Camus communes with nature as at T i p a s a and Djemila, and once more are performed " l e s 78 noces de l'homme et de l a t e r r e . The
c i t y of A l g i e r s
i t s e l f o f f e r s a great p r o f u s i o n of
nature's beauties: " . . . l a mer au tournant de chaque rue, un 79 poids de s o l e i l . . . " by those who
exclusively, attitude
These beauties, however, can only be a p p r e c i a t e d
are young at h e a r t .
which A l g i e r s demands.
They alone have the " j o i e de v i v r e "
They alone are prepared to l i v e i n the present
without any hope of i m m o r t a l i t y .
*; The
birds burst
a211 lso
after
Camus, ibid., 3ibid.,
2 1 2 2 1
214
ibid.,
merle...
f o r t h i n joyous
i t s long e x i l e : L ' E t e , p . p . 153. p p . 153-154. p . 155. p p . 155-156.
song,
a song which h i s h e a r t
"...j ecoutais 1
aussi
les flots
echoes
heureux
66 214 q u i m o n t a i e n t en m o i . In t h i s s e l f purged m i r a c u l o u s l y . f r o m the aftermath.
He has
found the
moment o f h a p p i n e s s , Camus f i n d s h i m b u r d e n o f t h e war y e a r s and t h e i r
source
of strength
f o r w h i c h he has
been
searching: ...je soi
redecouvrais
a. T i p a s a q u ' i l
une f r a i c h e u r ,
une s o u r c e
echappe . . . .
a 1'injustice, . . 215
lumiere
conquise.
He d i s c o v e r s
et
also
s i n c e the
fallait
de j o i e ,
retourner
that
his
lying
dormant
leave
h i m : " A u m i l i e u de l ' h i v e r ,
garder
aimer
le
au combat
joy i n nature,
b e g i n n i n g o f the
war,
i n t a c t es jour qui
avec
cette
w h i c h has
w i l l never
j'apprenais
en
been
completely
enfin q u ' i l
y avait
en
216 moi
un e t e
invincible.
This
p l e t e l y d e s p a i r i n g over the reminder that
there
is
j o y has a l w a y s p r e v e n t e d him f r o m com-
injustices
he saw.
s o m e t h i n g i n a man's
It
has
been a
existence that
constant
makes
it
worthwhile. Dans t o u t
ce
que j ' a i
fait
semble b i e n r e c o n n a i t r e r e n i e r l a l u m i e r e ou je voulu refuser "La
les
1953.
It
on
a trip
he made t o
and 2 1 4
2
ibid.,
"^ibid.,
217
a series
register
ibid.,
pp.
pp.
158.
p.
159.
i l me
the
temps.
last
essay i n L ' E t e , sea
These
in this
p e r i o d are
was
written
r e c o r d e d by Camus selections,
Camus' renewed j o y i n n a t u r e ;
155-156.
157-158.
p.
de ce
S o u t h A m e r i c a i n 1945.
of nature
L'Ete,
jusqu'a present,
of impressions of the
enthusiasm.
Camus,
2 1 5
is
a. T i p a s a " ,
descriptions
servitudes
mer au p l u s p r e s " ,
in
"Retour
ou d i t
c e s deux f o r c e s . . . . Je n ' a i pu s u i s ne et cependant j e n ' a i pas 217
often lacking i n
yet,
like his
freshness
-
-
In the deep
i n t r o d u c t i o n to
sense o f e x i l e
from the
J'ai
g r a n d i dans
puis
j'ai
gris,
sea,
l a mer et
p e r d u l a mer,
l a misere Life
for
remote f r o m i t s
these selections,
tous
les
intolerable.
him i s
but
realities.
Camus e x p r e s s e s
and from n a t u r e ,
l a pauvrete.m'a luxes
p r i o r to
ete
alors
67
his
-
his
trip:
fastueuse,
m'ont
Depuis,j'attends.
paru
2 1 8
a s e r i e s of meaningless
gestures.
He
E v e n h i s e x i s t e n c e has no m e a n i n g :
is
" O n me 219
somme e n f i n de d i r e
q u i je
Sometimes, comes t o Je
him i n a
' R i e n encore,
he has a b r i e f
rien
encore....'"
r e s p i t e when t h e
sound o f t h e
sea
dream:
me r e v e i l l e ,
Ije c r o i s 220
suis.
ainsi,
entendre
dans l a n u i t ,
un b r u i t
de v a g u e s ,
et,
a demi e n d o r m i ,
la respiration
des
plunged i n t o
deeper
eaux. Once t h e despair
dream i s than
ended,
however,
to
panic.
that
a
before.
On o t h e r o c c a s i o n s , i n New Y o r k ,
Camus i s
for
Yet,
somewhere
example, he i s
the
s u r r o u n d e d by masses o f human b e i n g s ,
his terrible
saved
f e e l i n g of
from complete
sea
is
waiting f o r him:
Ceux q u i s ' a i m e n t
et
q u i sont
despair
s e p a r e s peuvent
exile
c a u s e s him
b e c a u s e he knows
vivre
dans
l a d o u l e u r , mais ce n ' e s t pas l e d e s e s p o i r : i l s s a v e n t que l ' a m o u r e x i s t e . V o i l a " p o u r q u o i j e s o u f f r e , l e s yeux s e e s , 221 de l ' e x i l .
J'attends
In the his 2 1 8
r e t u r n to
Camus,
the
L'Ete,
219 ibid.,
p.
168.
ibid., 221.,.. , ibid.,
p.
169.
p.
170.
220
selections sea, p.
encore.... f o l l o w i n g the
w h i c h he has
167.
introduction,
desired for
so
long.
Camus Here,
describes as
in
68 -
T
t
222 N o c e s , he j o i n s i n a m a r r i a g e w i t h n a t u r e : " J ' e p o u s e i t s moods, t h e s e a and i t s w i l d l i f e d e l i g h t h i m : at dusk,
at
i n imagery.
s i t i v i t y to startling
.
It
nature;
,223
Les
d e s c r i b i n g Camus' illustrates
yet,
new i m a g e s .
an a n i m a l
he i s
lourdes,
unable to
jappent
...s'eparpille
en d e s s i n s
de q u e l q u e v a c h e b l e u e encore longtemps
et
derriere
Camus' d e s c r i p t i o n
different
A midi,
from t h a t
sous
a. p e i n e ,
one o f
the
has a s t r o n g
what the
he s e n s e s
sea
senin
i n terms
of
l'eau
gresille.
Elle
is
blanche,
bete f o u r b u e ,
fait
no way d i s t i n c t i v e . ...quelques
pelage
qui
siffler
grande
