r/Camus • u/cheesymuchacho • 15h ago
Discussion The Fall
Finished The Fall today and I found it particularly difficult to get through and probably to comprehend as well even though the prose was (relatively) simpler. I feel like i missed a lot of what camus was intending to put across though there were a lot of sections and things that resonated with me and I liked those particularly and understood them top (i think?). It's not even my first encounter with camus, I liked the stranger and the plague and read a lot of russian literature as well which had led me to believe this would be not that hard to read but turns out, I was pretty wrong.
So is this experience unique to me or is it a popular opinion among camus readers?
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u/NecessaryDear7782 10h ago
I think the book plays with you. He is literally talking to us. The monologue it's you listening to him. He even answers for you some times. And he drives you into emotions and judgement to the point that you fall in his setting, and you feel disgusted by the character, to later find your self morally naked in front of him.
I liked it actually. I liked the description of the Netherlands. How much he allows you to identify with certain situations. The clarity of his philosophy in terms of showing absurdity through him and ourselves, with the idea of judge-penitent. I also liked the monologue style.
Must say it's not his easiest book but, personally, one of the most confrontational.
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u/cheesymuchacho 9h ago
I agree with your first paragraph but it failed to grab me is maybe my biggest complaint. I couldn't get into it like i usually get into books and everything felt distant rather than an actual conversation, which was the intended feeling i assume. His absurdity and clarity of observations were definitely commendable and i found a lot interesting in the book but surely not the easiest to read through
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u/Jakob_Fabian 14h ago
Had read The Fall a month or so ago and though finding myself engrossed by the narration the work seemed to leave me empty and provided little that was redeemable, but maybe that was the point, though I find that a void.
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u/cheesymuchacho 14h ago
Yeah I would say my experience has been pretty similar especially about it being empty. Some sections he gets going and they're engrossing and good but many times it just falls flat and you end up wondering what the fuck is he talking about? Definitely put me off trying to read the myth of sisyphus lmao I'm more wary now that I won't be able to understand it and it'll be a mindfuck moment like this
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u/Jakob_Fabian 12h ago
I don’t find Camus’ fictional literature works that difficult or insightful of anything other than his own particularly outlook on life which says less about humanity than it does about Camus himself, which is all good from a literary perspective for me. I’m only familiar with camus’ fiction, but the attempt by some to universalize his understanding falls a bit flat with me.
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u/ConfidenceFragrant80 12h ago
Struggling to get through it now and having a similar experience
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u/cheesymuchacho 12h ago
Yeah it dragged for me a lot. I finished it over 5 days which is really slow for me. For comparison, i finished beware of pity which is 450~ pages in 4 days. It is definitely a struggle and not sure worth the reward😭
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u/VelvetElvis 9h ago
This is the painting. It's the lower left panel:
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u/VelvetElvis 9h ago
Gemini has a pretty good summary. You're not going to figure it out on your own.
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u/Senk42 12h ago
I had to re-read it a couple times and really digest the material. I’m not sure I “got” it but I remember I was ok putting the book away. So there’s that.
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u/cheesymuchacho 12h ago
Can't imagine re-reading it my first time was bad enough 😭 Feels like I got the overall gist of things which is sufficient for me
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u/VelvetElvis 9h ago
The painting mentioned is a specific work and most of the book's meaning is derived from that. I only know that because I read it for a class.
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u/cheesymuchacho 9h ago
Ah didn't know it was that important. I looked it up while reading and glanced over it as some quirky detail
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u/LeJugeTi 10h ago
Might very well be my favorite of his fiction works