On the pursuit of meaning: A Comparative Analysis Between “Raskolnikov” and “Meursault” On the Grounds of Existentialism

Camus’ the Stranger and Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment are indeed among the most precious literary works of the world. These two novels are so rich in philosophical and psychological ideologies that researchers would be able to review them from many different perspectives—one of which is existentialism. This article intends to review the notion of existentialism in these two novels and shed some light on incidents that could be seen through the same glasses. One of the questions fundamental to existentialism concerns the purpose of life and its meaning, and this paper attempts to find a connection between the protagonists of these novels and the question. It also intends to find ideological similarities and differences between these two novels, especially regarding existentialism, with reference to incidents in the books through a robust thematic analysis procedure. Although it is natural to notice many differences between these two novels, one still might be able to find some ideological similarities in the books and put them under scrutiny.

کلیدواژه ها:

comparative litearture ، Albert camust ، Dostoevsky ، russian literature ، french literature