The Fall

From Freepedia

For the post punk band from Manchester, see The Fall (band).

The Fall (La Chute) is a novel by Albert Camus, first published in 1956. Set in Amsterdam, The Fall consists of a series of monologues by a self-proclaimed 'judge penitent' Jean-Baptiste Clamence, as he reflects upon his life to a stranger. Clamence tells us of his success, he enjoyed an upstanding role in society, esteem from fellows, and a rich sensuous life, and his ultimate 'fall' from grace.

Jean-Paul Sartre is noted to have regarded it as Camus' greatest work of fiction, and not without reason. It is a beautifully written and philosophically rich novel. Clamence can be seen to follow in the tradition of both Friedrich Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Grand Inquisitor. Like these great writers, Camus uses his character to challenge his readers; ultimately, this is where the force of the novel lies. Camus no doubtedly hopes that through such an endeavour, we will realise the absurdity of our existence, and learn how to deal with it - two central tenets of his philosophy.