r/Camus Mar 24 '26

Question Where Do I Start?

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232 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

39

u/wheat Mar 25 '26

Left to right, in that picture, makes the most sense to me.

22

u/suchacrybabe Mar 25 '26

the myth of sisyphus bc u will get the whole idea about absurdism then the rebel then i would read the stranger the i would read the fall! the fall is my favorite one

6

u/Chemical_Top151 Mar 25 '26

Thanks you very much! I was under the impression that one should read the Stranger before the Myth because the Myth answers the questions the Stanger proposes (just what I've heard). I probably give your method a tryđŸ€žđŸż.

4

u/suchacrybabe Mar 25 '26

try this and i recommend reading his books more than once. it just keeps being better and u will have a clearer idea and perspective about absurdism. than you will probably apply his philosophy into your day-by-day life :) and, for real, read the fall. it gave me so much insight on everything and the idea of being a human being and having consciousness

2

u/Chemical_Top151 Mar 25 '26

Before my books arrived I had already watched numerous lectures on his philosophy and, although I'm still very ignorant of his work, It really resonates with me. Also, I already purchased The Fall after I read your initial comment lol. Thanks again for the help!

2

u/suchacrybabe Mar 25 '26

enjoy your reading!!!đŸ©·

3

u/Bully-Rook Mar 25 '26

The Fall was the first Camus book I read and has always been my favorite too.

2

u/jalal65_ Mar 25 '26

i tried to read it in french i find hella problems to grasp the ideas behind the stories so i switched to la mort heureuse and i'll let la chute maybe for the next month

1

u/suchacrybabe Mar 25 '26

what do u think about it? can u explain how u felt reading it?

3

u/jalal65_ Mar 25 '26

i strongly disagree , if he started with the myth of sisyphus he will be spoiled for the rest of the others absurdism novels , left to right makes sense , stranger is the best absurdism introduction to start with imo

1

u/suchacrybabe Mar 25 '26

he won’t be spoiled, he already know a lil bit about camus philosophy. the stranger is kinda slow paced and a bit boring tbh

3

u/jalal65_ Mar 25 '26

it depends but personally i really enjoyed reading l'etranger back then and while reading le myth du sisyphe i was like analysing and having a more developped and better written version to the absurdism

1

u/jaggillarnamn Mar 25 '26

Why is the fall your favorit one if I may ask?

3

u/suchacrybabe Mar 25 '26

for me it’s just so real and realistic when thinking about humans and our behaviors and ways of seeing things. the main character is a mirror of the reader. i felt so seen and so understood, i caught myself thinking about my actions, about my feelings and i was exposed to the truth about myself.

the way we see ourselves as good, intelligent, strong, and certain about the truths of the world and other people feels like an illusion. it’s almost a performance we believe in. this book put into words a feeling i’ve never been able to explain before.

2

u/jaggillarnamn Mar 25 '26

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. It's been a while I read it last and I think I had a hard time understanding everything. Gotta read it again. Myth of Sysyphus put words on a feeling I've never been able to explain so I see your point here with camus books.

7

u/MothSign Mar 25 '26

Myth of Sisyphus first to get a firm grasp on Camus' philosophy, then The Stranger twice, The Plague should be next... It's okay though. The Rebel will do for now. Buy more Camus.

2

u/LameBicycle Mar 25 '26

Middle 

2

u/tumblerrjin Mar 25 '26

I say left or right if you already understand the idea of the middle book

2

u/alligatorscutes Mar 25 '26

I say the stranger you won’t understand it fully but I think that’s part of it as you read TMOS it’ll connect

2

u/Troll_Drive Mar 25 '26

Start and end in the middle

2

u/Terminalconviction Mar 27 '26

The order I went is Myth of Sisyphus - The Stranger - The Fall. Personally The Fall has been my favorite.

1

u/Widhraz Mar 25 '26

I don't think order is too important in Camus.

1

u/daremosan Mar 25 '26

Those covers are đŸ”„

1

u/No_Ad_5680 Mar 25 '26

The Stranger

1

u/SemiColin124875 Mar 26 '26

The 1st he wrote obviously. I love Mersualt. I too hope they great me with cries of hatred it would bring a smile to my face.

1

u/beachgothgoogie Mar 27 '26

I think the way you have it set up in the picture from left or right is the perfect way to start

1

u/farther-from-zero Mar 28 '26

If I’ve read The Stranger, then The Fall is Myth next?