Coming together: Embodied and pre‐reflective interaction in The Plague

Abstract

AbstractAlbert Camus’s The Plague has often been investigated as a moral deliberation on humans’ responsibilities in the face of a deadly threat, be it as an allegory of World War Two or in a more general fashion. In this article, I argue that by looking at the pre‐reflective and embodied aspects of the interaction between the protagonists, the novel can be read in a new light. Seen from the perspective of contemporary cognitive science, especially what is known as “enactivism,” I argue that central cognitive and interactive processes in the novel seem to be running below the level of explicit dialogue. Thus, we can understand the moral process of The Plague more accurately if we take into account new insights into the important role that the body, our surroundings, and the interaction itself play when humans come together and interact. Finally, I argue that an analysis of The Plague should pay special attention to how Rieux, the narrator and main protagonist, operationalizes these embodied and pre‐reflective mechanisms through his use of narrative techniques.