Theme of pandemics in literature: From The Plague by Albert Camus to Vietnamese novels in the early 21st century

Abstract

Since ancient times, humanity has experienced many horrifying pandemics. The anxiety about the casualties, death, and suffering of the pandemics has been boldly imprinted and reflected in literature. From 1947, Albert Camus’s warnings in the novel The Plague and the novel still have practical significance today. His prophetic insight into the absurd world of humanity has come to fruition as we face the dangerous global COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, theme of pandemics has received more attention from writers. Some novels published in Vietnam, such as Quarantine Days (B.Q. Thang), Nalis Drifted to The Shore of Destiny (T. Ha), and Sadness is Sowing The Seeds of Kindness (I. Le), all share the same theme of a pandemic. It shows the agility and timeliness of literature in the face of life’s radiation. The article provides a comparative view of A. Camus’s The Plague with some Vietnamese novels of the early 21^st century. Connecting the topic of pandemics from traditional to modern, the article focuses on pointing out the exciting and unique points between this east-west literary intersection. The pandemics of the 20^th century in Camus’s The Plague and the 21^st century in Vietnamese novels have exciting implications.