A guide to reading and understanding Albert Camus' "The Stranger" which includes a biography of the author, critical essays analyzing his work, and an examination of the story's key themes and ideas.

Foreword -- Introduction -- Biography of Albert Camus -- Characters and plot -- 1. Philosophical themes in The stranger -- Indifference as the guiding principle of The stranger / Alba Amoia ; Is Meursault a stranger to the truth? / Robert C. Solomon ; Birth of Existentialism and the death of Meursault / Patrick McCarthy ; Meursault's Pagan philosophy / Robert J. Champigny -- 2. Technical and historical aspects of The stranger -- Theme of death / Kathryn B. McGuire ; Algerian context of The stranger / Alec G. Hargreaves -- 3. The stranger in comparison with other works -- Race in The stranger and Richard Wright's Native son / Mary Ann Witt ; The stranger and Kafka's The trial / Willard Bohn -- 4. Is Meursault to blame for his problems? -- Role of fate in The stranger / Anselm Atkins ; Meursault's passivity leads to his death / Germaine Bree ; Meursault seeks his own punishment / C. Roland Wagner.