2020 Albert Camus Conference Dr. Berg

In this episode I have uploaded my presentation to the Albert Camus Society annual meeting held on-line on October 23, 2020.

Title: Four Character Studies from The Plague and Their American Counterparts During COVID-19

In this paper I will take a close look at four characters in Camus’ The Plague and situate them in the current (2020) American landscape while suffering under COVID-19. I will illuminate Father Panloux in relation to American Christian response to COVID, particularly the Baptist Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Dr. Rieux and the American medical community paying special attention to the CDC; Cottard as the American radical right; and Rambert and the American press with attention given to the idea of “fake news” and social media. As a bonus, I will identify Dr. Castel and, although difficult, locate the American President Donald Trump in the text. I will use a descriptive tool from Simone Weil known as decreation to help illuminate the normative aspects of this comparison.