DOCSLIB.ORG

Moral Anarchy in Nostromo, the Secret Agent, and Under Western Eyes

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Moral Anarchy in Nostromo, the Secret Agent, and Under Western Eyes Lehigh University Lehigh Preserve Theses and Dissertations 1971 Moral anarchy in Nostromo, The ecrS et Agent, and Under Western Eyes James John Willey Lehigh University Follow this and additional works at: https://preserve.lehigh.edu/etd Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation Willey, James John, "Moral anarchy in Nostromo, The eS cret Agent, and Under Western Eyes" (1971). Theses and Dissertations. 3962. https://preserve.lehigh.edu/etd/3962 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Lehigh Preserve. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Lehigh Preserve. For more information, please contact [email protected]. James John Willey lY Mbral Anarchy in Nostromo, The Secret Agent, · - an·a.···u·ri-der Western Eyes Abstract The so-called political novels of Joseph Oonrad--­ Nostromo, The Secret Agent, and Under Western Eyes---are political only in the sense that they pertain to society. The theme vhlch Conrad intimates in these novels ia that the world of which he speaks is overrun with mo~al anarchists who have become such as a result of their exaggerated con­ cern for themselves. In the context of this theme, political anarchists or revolutionists become only one group of moral anarchists in society. One of the conclusions im;1lied in Nostromo and The Secret Agent is not that there are revolu­ tionaries in the world who threaten the neace o! their countries but that there are moral anarchists in hi~h government positions and in seemingly ~eaceful homes who also threateu the order and tranquility of society. In Nostromo, The Secret Agent, and Under Western ETea, Conrad suggests that there is a moral bond that exists ~e­ tween all men and that there are rules whic-: :n·J.3: be !"ollove4 in order to preserve it. William Wallace Bansroft 1!1 r..... o:~e:'h Conrad: His Philosophy of Life suggests a number of tenaa which facilitate the explanation of this bonj and 4-v t"'.. e ru..1...ftB~ which preserve it. The most significant of these terns a~e "Human Solidarity" and "The Moral Law." I have utilized these and several others to show that the theme of ~oral anarchy is suggested primarily through the actions ~~d motivations of many of Conrad's characters. Most of the • characters fail to adhere to the rules which preserve.., tha human bond, but Conrad suggests confessing one's of~e~ses and submitting to their consequences to ~e-establish o~~­ self in the human community. The result may not be coaplete happiness but at least inner peace for the gti1lty. t c ),' MORAL ANARCHY IN NOSTROMO, THE SECRET AGENT, AND UNDER WESTERN EYES by James John Willey A Thesis Presented to the Graduate Committee of Lehigh University in Candidacy for the Degree of Master or Arts in .i English ~ehigh University 1971 11 This thesis is accepted and approved 1n partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. ·- ate) -~· A~E. hairman of epartment .,. ,, '1 111 I \ • Table of Contents Abstract iv Chapter One: Social, Not Political Concepts 1 Chapter Two: Nostromo 9 Chapter Three: The Secret Agent 28 Chapter Four: Under Western Eyes 53 Chapter Five: Conclusion 66 Footnotes 68 Bibliography 77 Vita ' 80 i'· ... .. 1Y • Abstract The so-called political novels of Joseph Conrad--­ Nostromo, The Secret Agent, and Under ~·Testern political only in the sense that they pertain to s o .r.:; 1 e t ..,,r • "" The theme which Conrad intimates in these novels is that the world of which he speaks is overrun with moral anarchists who have become such as a result of their exagge ra te'i c 0!1- cern for themselves. In the context of this theme; political anarchists or revolutionists become only one group of moral anarchists in society. One of the conclusions im·~lied in Nostromo and The Secret Agent is not that there are revolu­ tionaries in the world who threaten the peace of their countries but that there are moral anarchists in high government positions and in seemingly peaceful homes who ., also threaten the order and tranquility of society . In Nostromo, The Secret Agent, and Under Western Eves, Conrad suggests that there is a moral bond that exi~~ts be­ tween all men and that there are rules whic~"l :111-1:::-: ·be ~allowed in order to preserve it. William Wallace Bancroft in t..,.o:·~e:~--h Conrad: His Philosophy of Life suggests a nu.111ber of t·erms ' . ... which facilitate the explanation of this bond 2nd --'....J ....r P..._. r·'' ,,..... .LAS·~ which preserve it. The most significant of these terms are "Human Solidarity" and nThe Moral Law." I have utilized ....... ... these and several others to show that the theme 0 l. ~oral anarchy is suggested primarily through the actions and motivations of many of Conrad's characters. Most of the adhere to the rules which nreserve the characters fail to • human bond, but Conrad suggests confessing one's of:enses and submitting to their consequences to re-establish one­ self in the human community. The result may not be complete happiness but at least inner peace £or the guilty. ' Chapter One Social, Not Political Concepts The majority of the critics o! Joseph Conrad's so-called political novels-Nostromo, The Secret :\gent, and Under Western Eyes--express little doubt that Conrad can be considered a true political writer. The critics who arrive at this conclusion point to the fact that Conrad does not attempt to establish any definite phi­ losophy which, if followed, would lead to the establish­ ment of a particular type of government such as a monarchy, an aristocracy, or a democracy. Nevertheless, these same critics generally agree that a good number of Conrad's • writings do attempt to convey basic guidelines which may be termed political in a very broad sense, though they might more precisely be called social. These guidelines are revealed in the values espoused by the characters in Nostromo, The Secret Agent, and Under Western Eyes. ~·!oat often, they are implied by a demonstration of the failure of a character's values to assist him in coping with the indifferent world which he faces. ·- The expression most commonly used by Conrad's critics in speaking of these positive social values is "human solidarity." The frequency of i.ts use results from the essential role that it plays in his basic view of life and society. Lacking an awareness of and an adhesion to this ' .. , 2 .r solidarity, a man will of necessity fail to meet the trials of life and thus be forced to suffer the conse­ quences--unhappiness of varying degrees, misery, or death (sometimes by suicide). Precisely what Joseph Conrad was attempting to include in this concept of human,solidarity is difficult to determine in its full complexity.' Such a com1Jlete understanding can be achieved by a comprehensive reading of his works as well as through a variety of critical analyses and by some profound thinking. A simnle... defin1- tion and explanation, however, may be helpful to the neophyte in reading Conrad's novels and also provide a foundation for discussion of his social views. Paul Wiley interprets Conrad's solidarity as a "human bond" that exists between all men and upon ,,hich 1 order in society depends. Sympathy, love, and fai t}1 are the manifestations of one's understanding of and adhesion 2 to the human bond. Avrom Fleishman sees solidarity as "human community" which provides the ideas or goals for which we should strive; and this community, he also says, is manif'ested in love. 3 The fullest exnlanation ~ of the concept is provided by William Wallace Bancroft in Josenh Conrad: His Philosophy of Life. Bancroft describes soli- 4 darity as a kind of divine but non-political society· and sees existing governments or "artificial institutions" as "represent f:ingJ codes, morals, customs, or levels of interpretation of Human Solidarity."5 This society makes itself known to individual men in the form of what Bancro!t calls nThe Moral Law."6 The Law is an absolute and 1s with- in every man. Proof of its existence is to be found in man's continuous attempts to provide excuses for his ac­ tions.7 Furthermore, the principles of the Law operate whether they are used well or not.8 The question arises: If the Law is operating in every man, why doesn't every man act in accordance with it? Bancroft disting,1ishes-~ .. between the presence of the Law, the individual's awareness of it, and his adherence to it. The presence is always there, the awareness is at least dimly omnipresent, but the false self often gets in the way of a man's living according to its principles: "Back oi' all the exa.mules.. noted of separation from Human Solidarity is one central theme concerning the cause, namely, the obscuration of the real self by the emphasis one places upon the finite self. That emphasis emanates from selfish interest. • • • "9 Absorption with the self can manifest itself' in many ways and prevent man from arriving at the proper "disposi­ tion" for following The Moral Law-a heart and will con­ cerned primarily with human solidarity. For Joseph Conrad, to use Banc~oft's labels, these obstacles take the for~s or 11 settled convictions,u "false adhesion of ideas," "secret f'ears," and "conceit and ignorance."10 4 The first obstacle, "settled convictions," 1s the dec~sion to stick to an idea regardless of new 1nformat1on or changing circumstances. The individual interurets..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Secret History of Costaguana Ebook, Epub
    THE SECRET HISTORY OF COSTAGUANA PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Juan Gabriel Vasquez | 320 pages | 04 Jul 2011 | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 9781408809877 | English | London, United Kingdom The Secret History of Costaguana PDF Book Other editions. He wants to go back to his own writing. I was disappointed by this book and was tempted to quit reading it at almost every point. In addition, Altamirano watches battling political factions in his country spin ideas and events to their version of the truth. The speed with which names and events are thrown at you is daunting. Behind the word motivation is the word whim; behind decision is tantrum" Jun 04, Todd Stockslager rated it really liked it Shelves: fiction. It was inspired by the geography and history of Colombia, where Conrad spent only a few days. Latin American novels have become synonymous with Magical Realism, a literary method that allows the conflation of realism and magic, history and mythology, to create a new, hybrid story, one that many Latin American authors believe best captures the "paradox of the union of opposites" see backstory on Magical Realism. This tale is third-person narrated and reads like a history. However, the story carries another layer, too. Welcome back. You watch as Miguel's obsession with the Summary: The story starts with the events that lead his father, Miguel Altamirano, to Panama. Through various anecdotes, scraps of history, and personal recollections, we read about an unconventional life from the son of an unconventional union: a journalist father who eventually becomes a propaganda machine for the building of the Panama Canal, and a married woman whose husband kills himself when he finds out that she is pregnant by another man.
    [Show full text]
  • Bibliography and References
    Bibliography and References (NoTE: the following list does not pretend to be exhaustive; items are only included if they are mentioned in text.) Primary sources and collections Conrad, J., Heart of Darkness (Harmondsworth: Penguin Modern Classics, 1982, first published 1902). Conrad, J., Preface to The Nigger of the Narcissus ( 1897) (Penguin Modern Classics Edition). Conrad, J., Tales ofHearsay and Last Essays (London, 1928 and 1955). Cox, C. B. (ed.), Casebook: Heart of Darkness, Nostromo, Under Western Eyes (London, 1981). Dean, L. F. (ed.), Heart of Darkness: Backgrounds and Criticism (Engle­ wood Cliffs, NJ, 1960). Kimbrough, R. ( ed.), Heart of Darkness: An Authoritative Text, Criti­ cism, Backgrounds, Sources, 3rd edn (New York & London: Norton edn, 1988). Mudrick, M. (ed.), Conrad: A Collection of Critical Essays (Twentieth Century Views Series) (Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1966). Sherry, N. (ed.), Conrad: The Critical Heritage (London, 1973). Secondary sources Achebe, C., 'An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Dark­ ness' ( 1975) (amended 1987), reprinted in Kimbrough (ed.) ( 1988). Baker, R. S., 'Watt's Conrad' (1981 and 1986) in Kimbrough (ed.) (1988). Bakhtin, M. M., The Dialogic Imagination (Austen, Texas, 1981). Barthes, R., S/Z (London, 1975; orig. in French 1970). 84 HEART OF DARKNESS Barthes, R., /mage-Music-Text: Essays (translated and edited by Heath, S.,) (Glasgow, 1977). Belsey, C., Critical Practice (London, 1980). Belsey, C., TheSubjectofTragedy (London, 1985). Benjamin, W., Illuminations (Glasgow, 1977). Bhabha, H. K., 'The other question: difference, discrimination, and the discourse of colonialism', in Barker et al. (eds), Literature, Politics, and Theory (London, 1986). Blake, S. L., 'Racism and the Classics: Teaching Heart of Darkness', College Language Association Journal, 25, no.
    [Show full text]
  • WINNIE VERLOC and HEROISM in the SECRET AGENT THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the University of North Texas in Parti
    7w WINNIE VERLOC AND HEROISM IN THE SECRET AGENT THESIS Presented to the Graduate Council of the University of North Texas in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts By Cynthia Joy Henderson, B.A. Denton, TX May, 1993 Henderson, Cynthia Joy. Winnie Verloc and Heroism in The Secret Agent. Master of Arts (English), May 1993, 77 pp., bibliography, 65 titles. Winnie Verloc's role in The Secret Agent has received little initial critical attention. However, this character emerges as Conrad's hero in this novel because she is an exception to what afflicts the other characters: institutionalism. In the first chapter, I discuss the effect of institutions on the characters in the novel as well as on London, and how both the characters and the city lack hope and humanity. Chapter II is an analysis of Winnie's character, concentrating on her philosophy that "life doesn't stand much looking into," and how this view, coupled with her disturbing experience of having looked into the "abyss," makes Winnie heroic in her affirmative existentialism. Chapters III and IV broaden the focus, comparing Winnie to Conrad's other protagonists and to his other female characters. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . - - - - - - - 1 CHAPTER I THE PLAYERS AND THEIR SETTING . 5 CHAPTER II WINNIE . .......... 32 CHAPTER III WINNIE AMONG CONRAD'S MEN AND WOMEN . 60 CHAPTER IV MADNESS AND DESPAIR . 71 WORKS CITED . ... 76 WORKS CONSULTED . ...... 79 iii INTRODUCTION The Secret Agent, although primarily approached by the critics as a political novel, is also a social and a domestic drama played out in the back parlour of a secret agent's pornography shop, and on the dreary streets of London.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 “Sudden Holes in Space and Time”: Trauma, Dissociation, and the Precariousness of Everyday Life Carola M. Kaplan, Ph.D., P
    “Sudden Holes in Space and Time”: Trauma, Dissociation, and the Precariousness of Everyday Life Carola M. Kaplan, Ph.D., Psy.D. Encino, CA In the close‐woven stuff of relations between conspirator and police there occur unexpected solutions of continuity, sudden holes in space and time. A given anarchist may be watched inch by inch and minute by minute, but a moment always comes when somehow all sight and touch of him are lost for a few hours, during which something (generally an explosion) more or less deplorable does happen” (italics mine). ‐‐Joseph Conrad, The Secret Agent She had a perpetual sense . of being out, out, far out to sea and alone; she always had the feeling that it was very, very dangerous to live even one day. ‐‐Virginia Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway Famous early on for his tales of the sea and exotic adventure, Joseph Conrad, in the course of his literary career, became increasingly interested in the difficulties of domestic life—and he focuses on this topic in many works, notably Nostromo (1904), The Secret Agent (1907), Chance (1914), and Victory (1915). In none of his works, however, does Conrad so relentlessly expose the dangers and deficiencies of family life, particularly in its failure to protect women and children, as in his acidly satirical novel The 1 Secret Agent. When he turns from exploring the dangers of life at sea to the hazards of life at home, he underlines and highlights in bold many of the problems that psychoanalysts encounter in current clinical practice. For this reason, the extremities of affect and trauma that Conrad presents in this novel may serve to illuminate the murkier and less extreme versions of trauma and consequent dissociation, as encountered in contemporary psychoanalytic treatment.
    [Show full text]
  • Pólemos Journal of Law, Literature and Culture
    2019!·!VOLUME 13!·!ISSUE 2 PÓLEMOS JOURNAL OF LAW, LITERATURE AND CULTURE MANAGING EDITORS Assoc Prof Cristina Costantini, Prof Daniela Carpi, Foreign Languages, Jurisprudence, Perugia and Literatures, Verona Assoc Prof Sidia Fiorato, Foreign Prof William MacNeil, Law & Justice, Languages, and Literatures, Verona Southern Cross (Australia) Mme Justice Hon Jeanne Gaakeer, Professor of Legal Theory, School of ADVISORY EDITORS Law, Erasmus U, Rotterdam, Justice Prof PG Monateri, Law, Sciences PO, in the Appellate Court of The Hague Paris & Comparative Law, Turin (Criminal Law Section) Prof Ian Ward, Law, Newcastle (UK) Prof Peter Goodrich, Benjamin N Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University ASSISTANT EDITORS Prof Desmond Manderson, College of Dr Valentina Adami, English Language Law and College of the Humanities, and Literature, Verona Australian National University Dr Cristy Clark, Law & Justice, Assoc Prof John Page, Law & Justice, Southern Cross (Australia) Southern Cross (Australia) Dr Raffaele Cutolo, English Language Prof Renata Salecl, Law, Birkbeck & and Literature, Verona Criminology, Ljubljana Mr Jonathan Harlen, Law & Justice, Prof Austin Sarat, Law, Jurisprudence Southern Cross (Australia) and Social Thought and Political Science, Amherst College, Amherst, ADVISORY BOARD Massachusetts, USA Prof Michele Bratcher-Goodwin, Law, Prof Alison Young, Social and Political UC Irvine Sciences, University of Melbourne, Assoc Prof Chiara Battisti, Foreign Melbourne, Australia, Languages, and Literatures, Verona Prof Fulvio Cortese, Jurisprudence,
    [Show full text]
  • Nostromo a Tale of the Seaboard
    NOSTROMO A TALE OF THE SEABOARD By Joseph Conrad "So foul a sky clears not without a storm." —SHAKESPEARE TO JOHN GALSWORTHY Prepared and Published by: Ebd E-BooksDirectory.com AUTHOR'S NOTE "Nostromo" is the most anxiously meditated of the longer novels which belong to the period following upon the publication of the "Typhoon" volume of short stories. I don't mean to say that I became then conscious of any impending change in my mentality and in my attitude towards the tasks of my writing life. And perhaps there was never any change, except in that mysterious, extraneous thing which has nothing to do with the theories of art; a subtle change in the nature of the inspiration; a phenomenon for which I can not in any way be held responsible. What, however, did cause me some concern was that after finishing the last story of the "Typhoon" volume it seemed somehow that there was nothing more in the world to write about. This so strangely negative but disturbing mood lasted some little time; and then, as with many of my longer stories, the first hint for "Nostromo" came to me in the shape of a vagrant anecdote completely destitute of valuable details. As a matter of fact in 1875 or '6, when very young, in the West Indies or rather in the Gulf of Mexico, for my contacts with land were short, few, and fleeting, I heard the story of some man who was supposed to have stolen single-handed a whole lighter-full of silver, somewhere on the Tierra Firme seaboard during the troubles of a revolution.
    [Show full text]
  • In Memoriam Mario Curreli (1943–2015)
    In Memoriam Mario Curreli (1943–2015) first met Mario at the famous 1972 conference in Poland under the aegis of Zdzisław Najder. Like Mario, I was I overawed to find myself in the company of Borys Conrad, Ian Watt, Gustav Morf , René Rapin and other famed figures. (The conference was gate-crashed by a contingent from a Conradiana conference in London, which brought in Eloise Knapp Hay, Ed Bojarski and others.) Mario was alert, astute, sensitive, a little nervous, resourceful and engaging. Later that year, he and the charming Vanna visited me in Brighton, and we proceeded to Hindhead to meet Borys again. Mario and Borys soon became good friends, and Borys presented Mario with a silver-topped cane that had belonged to Joseph Conrad. Subsequently, I collaborated with Mario on an article on The Premier and the Painter and The Secret Agent, and our collaboration continued over the years until Mario’s death. He would advise me on (say) Italian matters in Shakespeare’s works, and I would proof- check some of his articles in English. Mario’s linguistic range was remarkable: it was from him that I learnt the useful English word “onomastic.” We met at various Conradian gatherings and conferences. Mario was immensely productive and resourceful, in spite of severe health problems. For years he underwent the ordeal of regular dialysis. Eventually he was helped by a kidney transplant, the donor being Vanna. In the case of Mario and Vanna, the biblical adage “they shall be one flesh” became literally true. Their flat in the heart of historic Pisa provided frequent generous hospitality for international visitors.
    [Show full text]
  • Spy Culture and the Making of the Modern Intelligence Agency: from Richard Hannay to James Bond to Drone Warfare By
    Spy Culture and the Making of the Modern Intelligence Agency: From Richard Hannay to James Bond to Drone Warfare by Matthew A. Bellamy A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (English Language and Literature) in the University of Michigan 2018 Dissertation Committee: Associate Professor Susan Najita, Chair Professor Daniel Hack Professor Mika Lavaque-Manty Associate Professor Andrea Zemgulys Matthew A. Bellamy [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6914-8116 © Matthew A. Bellamy 2018 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to all my students, from those in Jacksonville, Florida to those in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is also dedicated to the friends and mentors who have been with me over the seven years of my graduate career. Especially to Charity and Charisse. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ii List of Figures v Abstract vi Chapter 1 Introduction: Espionage as the Loss of Agency 1 Methodology; or, Why Study Spy Fiction? 3 A Brief Overview of the Entwined Histories of Espionage as a Practice and Espionage as a Cultural Product 20 Chapter Outline: Chapters 2 and 3 31 Chapter Outline: Chapters 4, 5 and 6 40 Chapter 2 The Spy Agency as a Discursive Formation, Part 1: Conspiracy, Bureaucracy and the Espionage Mindset 52 The SPECTRE of the Many-Headed HYDRA: Conspiracy and the Public’s Experience of Spy Agencies 64 Writing in the Machine: Bureaucracy and Espionage 86 Chapter 3: The Spy Agency as a Discursive Formation, Part 2: Cruelty and Technophilia
    [Show full text]
  • 0 PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DE SÃO PAULO PUC-SP Alisson Costa De Faria Tradução Intersemiótica: Nos Rastros Do Film
    0 PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DE SÃO PAULO PUC-SP Alisson Costa de Faria Tradução intersemiótica: nos rastros do filme Apocalypse Now MESTRADO EM COMUNICAÇÃO E SEMIÓTICA SÃO PAULO 2014 1 PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DE SÃO PAULO PUC-SP Alisson Costa de Faria Tradução intersemiótica: nos rastros do filme Apocalypse Now MESTRADO EM COMUNICAÇÃO E SEMIÓTICA Dissertação apresentada à Banca Examinadora da Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, como exigência parcial para obtenção de título de MESTRE em Comunicação e Semiótica, na área de concentração Signo e Significação nas Mídias, sob a orientação do Prof. Doutor José Amálio de B. Pinheiro. SÃO PAULO 2014 2 BANCA EXAMINADORA ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ 3 AGRADECIMENTOS Ao caríssimo Prof. Dr. José Amálio de B. Pinheiro, pela orientação atenta e disponibilidade para os atendimentos e conversas, fundamentais na construção da pesquisa. Aos Prof. Dr. Tony de Souza e Profa. Dra. Cecília A. Salles, por todos os conselhos e sugestões que possibilitaram o desenvolvimento da pesquisa por ocasião da banca de qualificação. Ao Prof. Dr. Gabriel Chalita, por toda a atenção e incentivo aos estudos. À Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, pela oportunidade da bolsa outorgada para o desenvolvimento desta pesquisa. A todos os amigos e colegas que tive a felicidade de conhecer durante o curso de mestrado, pelas conversas e toda a ajuda. Aos meus familiares e amigos, pela força e apoio. A Gabriela e Sophia, pela paciência, carinho e confiança. 4 RESUMO A presente pesquisa analisa as relações tradutórias do filme Apocalypse Now (1979), de Francis Ford Coppola, com suas fontes, em especial o romance O Coração das Trevas (2006), de Joseph Conrad e Os Despachos do Front (2005), de Michael Herr.
    [Show full text]
  • JOSEPH CONRAD: THREE NOVELS Joseph Conrad in 1923, Aged About 65 (Estate of John Conrad/Photo T
    JOSEPH CONRAD: THREE NOVELS Joseph Conrad in 1923, aged about 65 (Estate of John Conrad/photo T. and R. Annan and Sons) JOSEPH CONRAD: THREE NOVELS Heart of Darkness The Secret Agent The Shadow-Line Joseph Conrad Edited with an introduction and notes by NORMAN PAGE M MACMILLAN Introduction, notes, glossary and chronology © Norman Page 1995 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. First published 1995 by THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 2XS and London Companies and representatives throughout the world ISBN 978-0-333-61096-1 ISBN 978-1-349-23831-6 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-23831-6 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Typeset by EXPO Holdings, Malaysia Contents A Note on the Text vi Introduction ix Heart of Darkness 1 The Secret Agent 93 The Shadow-Line 339 Notes 446 Glossary of Nautical Terms 451 A Conrad Chronology 453 v A Note on the Text Heart of Darkness was begun in mid-December 1898 and finished within about a month.
    [Show full text]
  • Joseph Conrad
    Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, Joseph Conrad Polish: [ˈjuzɛf tɛˈɔdɔr ˈkɔnrat kɔʐɛˈɲɔfskʲi] ( listen); 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Polish-British writer[1][note 1] regarded as one of the greatest novelists to write in the English language.[2] Though he did not speak English fluently until his twenties, he was a master prose stylist who brought a non-English sensibility into English literature.[note 2] Conrad wrote stories and novels, many with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit in the midst of what he saw as an impassive, inscrutable universe.[note 3] Conrad is considered an early modernist,[note 4] though his works contain elements of 19th-century realism.[3] His narrative style and anti-heroic characters[4] have influenced numerous authors, and many films have been adapted from, or inspired by, his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that Conrad's fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.[5][6] Conrad in 1904 Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew, among by George Charles Beresford other things, on his native Poland's national Born Józef Teodor Konrad [7]:290, 352[note 5] experiences and on his own experiences in the Korzeniowski French and British merchant navies, to create short stories and 3 December 1857 novels that reflect aspects of a European-dominated world— Berdychiv, Russian including imperialism and colonialism—and that profoundly Empire explore
    [Show full text]
  • Conrad in the Time of Globalization: a Latin American Nostromo?
    CONRAD IN THE TIME OF GLOBALIZATION: A LATIN AMERICAN NOSTROMO? Terry Collits La Trobe University Melbourne Over the past fi fteen years, the category of “globalization” has come to dominate all others as the framing concept for analyses of politics, economics and culture at every level. It is in that new academic context that this essay examines some of the conditions and possibilities that now obtain for political readings of Conrad.1 Taking Nostromo as a test case, it will attempt to “estrange” the various constructions of the “Conrad” we know as a great English or even European author and replace them with the idea that it is now timely also to read Conrad’s acclaimed masterpiece as a classic of Latin American fi ction. This “taxonomical” modifi cation proposes that Nostromo is an important foundation text for the study of Latin American political and cultural history and challenges the judgment that the novel is somehow inauthentic in com- parison with the literary products that come from the soil of Latin America itself (the “Third World” speaking in its own voice, as it were). This starting claim (which is really an hypothesis) might seem either absurd or offensive. Yet such a proposal is more or less what actually happened in the case of Heart of Darkness in Africa. While not entirely free from taints of Eurocentrism, in practice the novella has become the most widely studied literary text in Africa. The Kenyan novelist, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, for example, declared that no African writer “had created so ironic, apt, and powerful an image” of the moral failure of European colonization as Conrad did with the skulls on poles facing Kurtz’ house.2 1 That is, I intend now to regard certain key categories in my Postcolonial Conrad: Paradoxes of Empire.
    [Show full text]