Communities in Western Classical Plague Literature

The portrayal of communities in plague literature has become a focal point of post-pandemic literary studies. The Decameron, A Journal of the Plague Year, and The Plague are seminal Western plague literary works set against the backdrop of plagues in the 14th, 17th, and 20th centuries, respectively, each reflecting different paradigms of community shaped by their respective eras. During the Renaissance, humanism was prevalent, which influenced Boccaccio's The Decameron to depict communities grounded in a sense of human compassion. In the 17th century, with the rapid development of capitalism in England, Defoe's A Journal of the Plague Year portrays the impact of capitalist expansion on various communities during the Great Plague of London. The devastation of World War II brought significant upheaval to humanity, and the absurdity of modern society presented both challenges and opportunities for the communities in Camus' The Plague. These communities not only reflect the diversity of social life in different eras of Western society but also offer insights and lessons for fostering harmony in contemporary human society and building a shared future for humanity on a global scale.