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What style and techniques are used by Camus in The Stranger and what are their effects on the reader?

In The Stranger, Albert Camus employs a particular style and techniques in order to intensify the effect of the story on the reader. 


The style of narration is detached, unemotional, and almost bizarrely matter-of-fact. This is evident right from the very first line, when Meursault says (in the original French, followed by translation): 



Aujourd'hui, maman est morte. Ou peut-être hier, je ne sais pas. 


Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday: I can't be sure. 



It seems very unusual for someone to report the death of his mother in such cold, clinical language. This style continues throughout the novel and has the effect of imparting a feeling of absurdity to the reader. By presenting events, thoughts, and feelings without any extra language or commentary, Camus causes the reader to feel the same sense of detached observation that Meursault feels toward the world and the people around him. Camus was primarily concerned with the meaninglessness of human existence and a sense that existence in general is irrational: imparting his feelings to the reader required this kind of detached style. 

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