The Plague: A Book/Movie Discussion
The COVID-19 pandemic is a crisis of epic proportions, the aftershocks of which we have yet to fully grasp – the day-to-day challenges of co-existing with the virus still occupying so much of our attention. The coronavirus has transformed every aspect of our existence, from the ways we work to the ways we engage with one another, and it has provided us with a new lens through which to view the world. It has shed new light on old ruptures in our social fabric and has required us, at the Center for the Study of Europe, to engage with the timely and timeless issue of health in European culture and society.
On June 16, 2020, at 6 PM, we will discuss Albert Camus’s novel, “La Peste.” We are also making available for online vieiwing the 1992 Argentine-French-British drama, written and directed by Luis Puenzo and starring William Hurt, Sandrine Bonnaire, Robert Duvall and Raul Julia. The film is a thematic adaptation, set in the 1990s, of the novel “La Peste” by Albert Camus. Our discussion will be led by Odile Cazenave, Professor of French and Chair of Romance Studies.
How It Works
- Sign up for the discussion below. You will receive instructions on how to access the film using your Kerberos account. Please (re)read the book and/or watch the film any time before June 16. You will also receive a Zoom link and password for the live discussion as well as suggested readings.
- Then on Tuesday, June 16, at 6 PM, join Prof. Cazenave and Prof. Daniela Caruso, Director of the Center for the Study of Europe, for a live discussion via Zoom.
- You’re very much invited to ask questions, post additional reading recommendations, etc. Critical readings of the novel, with attention to Camus’ political insights as well as historical blind spots, are particularly welcome.
Earlier Thematic Activities
This Film/Book Discussion builds upon several other events aimed to study Europe through the lens of the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this spring, we launched a series of interviews with European Consuls General here in Boston on the theme of “Solidarity at the Time of COVID-19.” The aim of the series was to explore the various responses to the coronavirus pandemic, and in particular the various approaches to material solidarity, in different European countries and at different levels of government. In mid-April, we held a virtual panel discussion with Sandro Galea, Dean and Robert A. Knox Professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, and Scott Greer, Professor of Health Management and Policy, Global and Public Health, and Political Science at the University of Michigan, on “Getting Well in Europe and America,” and this month, on May 9 (Europe’s Day), we hosted Prof. Dr. Chiara Zilioli, ECB General Counsel, for a lecture on “Europe at the Time of COVID-19: A View from the European Central Bank.”