The Plague - Albert Camus Flashcards
Collation of new vocabulary and remarks
“In autumn, on the contrary, there are [inundations] of mud.”
flooding/ over flowing
“But perhaps it is time to have done with [preliminaries] and [caveats], and turn to the story it self.”
Preliminaries - something that precedes an event as a preparatory or introductory
caveats - a warning
“wearing a suit with makeup to disguise her [pallor]”
a pale ghostly appearance
“The measures were far from [draconian] and it appeared a good deal had been done to avoid upsetting public opinion”
Draconian - (of laws or their application) excessively harsh and severe.
name after “Drakon”,statesman of Athens, known for his severe punishments for the elect.
“The [preamble] to the [decree] announced that a few cases of [pernicious] fever had been detected in the [commune] of Oran”
Preamble - a preliminary or preparatory statement; an introduction.
Decree - An official order by law
Pernicious - having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
Commune - a group of people living together and sharing possessions and responsibilities.
[admittedly, similar to “community” but implies a greater emotional linkage to share work and responsibility rather than a relationship brought out through commonness and frequency]
“In normal times, we are all aware, consciously or not, that there is no love which cannot to be surpassed, yet we accept with a greater or lesser degree of [equanimity] that ours shall remain merely average.”
Pg. 59.
Equanimity - a state of evenness and composure in difficult situations especially
“Here too, the most authentic of sufferings were [habitually] translated into the [banal] cliches of conversation. “
Pg 60.
Habitually - by way of habit; customarily
Banal - So lacking in originality as to become boring
“Thus at the very heart of the epidemic they presented a [salutary] detachment that people were inclined to mistake for cool-head composure.”
Pg. 60
Salutary - beneficial or health giving; especially as an outcome of dire or unpleasant circumstancs
“On the whole, they were not cowardly, joking with each other more often than [bewailing] their fate, and pretending to accept with good humour discomforts that would clearly not last”
Pg. 62
Bewailing - expressing great regret or sadness towards or over
“Here he had warmly defended a demanding form of Christian which rejected both modern liberalism and [obscurantism] of previous centuries.”
Pg. 72
Obscurantism - the practice of deliberately preventing the facts or full details of something from becoming known.
“Only after the remainder of the [oration] did the people realise that, by a clever rhetorical device, like a boxer delivering a blow, the priest had [imparted] the theme of his entire sermon at a single stroke.”
Pg. 73
Oration - a formal speech, especially one given on a ceremonial occasion.
Imparted - make (information) known.
bestow (a quality).
“In the vast 1[granary] of the universe, the [implacable] 1[flail] will thresh the human corn until the 1[chaff] is divided from the 1[grain]. There will be more chaff than grain, more called than chosen, and this misfortune was not willed by God. - Father Paneloux
Pg. 74
1[] = allegory from Mathew 3:12, similar to the parable of the sheep and goats.
Granary is a store for threshed grain used for feed.
flail - a threshing tool consisting of a wooden staff with a short heavy stick swinging from it.
chaff, grain - chaff is a dry cover on grain that needs to be beaten off and is considered waste
Implacable- unforgiving and fair[in this sense]
“And we, deprived of the light of God, will [languish] for a long time in the darkness of the plague!” - Father Paneloux
Pg. 74
Languish - Grow weak , lose vitality
Then the priest expanded even more on the [poignant] image of the flail.
Pg.75
Poignant - touching or evoking sadness or regret
“This very [scourge] that [assails] you, rises you up and shows you the way” - Father Paneloux
Pg. 76
Scourge - Punishment or thing that causes suffering
Assails - Challenges or attacks
” ‘ I understand the appeal of such [ardour]. At the start of pestilence, and when one is over, people always indulge in a little [rhetoric]. In the first case, the habit is not yet lost and, in the second , it has already returned’ “. - Tarrou’s account
Pg. 89
Ardour - Enthusiasm and excitement
Rhetoric - the art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
“If the epidemic extends, so will the bounds of morality. We shall see the [Milanese saturnalia] besides the tombs”
Pg . 92
Milanese saturnalia - Milanese ( originating in the city of Milan) Saturnalia was a Roman holiday in which feasting, gambling, drinking, and the breaking of the social norms of the time were encouraged.
“At that moment, all the [taciturnity] that a hard- working life had imposed on it seemed to lift.”
Pg. 94
Taciturnity - the state or quality of being reserved or reticent in conversation.
But they are more or less ignorant and this is what one calls [vice or virtue], the most appalling vice being the ignorance that thinks it knows everything and consequently authorises itself to kill.
Pg. 101
Vice and Virtue - A bad or reprimandable trait and vice versa; different views on their coexistence have been developed in theology and philosophy.
“Vice was mostly defined in theology as the absence of virtue, while philosophers followed Aristotle in locating virtue as a mean between two opposite “vices,” one representing an excess, the other a lack of the virtuous quality in question”
” So let say that it was [laudable] of Tarrou and others to have chosen to show that two and two make four rather than otherwise, but let us also say that they shared this good impulse with the schoolmaster and with all those think as he does - whom are more numerous than people think, to the credit of humanity”
Pg. 101
Laudable - Deserving of credit and praise.
“After that, he became very concerned about the adjective ‘magnificent’. It was not [evocative] enough, he said, so he was hunting for the word that would capture in a single snapshot the splendid animal that he had in mind. ‘Plump’ was not right: it was concrete, but somewhat [pejorative].”
Pg. 103
Evocative - Evoking strong emotions, images, or memories.
Pejorative - A word expressing contempt and disapproval.
” ‘What do you think about “[resplendent]”? ‘ “ - Tarrou
Pg. 103
Resplendent - beautiful through being richly colourful and sumptuous
“Kneeling down, they still seemed more hunched up and shrivelled up, like pieces of [coagulated] shadow,”
Pg. 115
Coagulated - change to a solid or semi solid state, especially referring to blood
“A few minutes later, two men came over, looked at him without any particular interest, then went over to lean on the [parapet] of the [promenade], seeming altogether absorbed in contemplating the bare, deserted [quays].
Pg. 116
Parapet - a low protective wall along the edge of a roof, bridge, or balcony.
Promenade - a paved public walk, typically one along the seafront at a resort.
Quay - A manmade structure like a dock or pier where boats are tied to
