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Description, Space and Spiritual Identity in an Outcast of the Islands, Lord Jim, and "Heart of Darkness"

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THE ART OF BECOMING: DESCRIPTION, SPACE AND SPIRITUAL IDENTITY IN AN OUTCAST OF THE ISLANDS, LORD JIM, AND "HEART OF DARKNESS" C.M.E. TERBLANCHE B.A. (HONS) Dissertation submitted for the degree Magister Artium in English at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University Supervisor: Professor A.M. de Lange November 2005 Potchefstroom To Marlow - and all the other travelers.. True, he [Kurtz] had made that last stride, he had stepped over the edge, while I had been permitted to draw back my hesitating foot. And perhaps in this is the whole difference; perhaps all wisdom, and all truth, and all sincerity, are just compressed into that inappreciable moment of time in which we step over the threshold of the invisible. Joseph Conrad, "Heart of Darkness" TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements Abstract Opsomming Notes on the Text CHAPTER ONE Introduction: The Artist, the Canvas and the Scene CHAPTER TWO The Colours and the Strokes: Conrad's Descriptive Techniques in An Outcast of the Islands CHAPTER THREE Painting Revisited: Cycles of Interpretation in Lord Jim CHAPTER FOUR The Painter's Hdden Magic: Atmosphere in "Heart of Darkness" CHAPTER FIVE The Centre of the Painting: Description, Space and Spiritual Identity in An Outcast of the Islands, Lord Jim and "Heart of Darknessn Bibliography ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My gratitude to: - The North-West University for providing the infrastructure necessary for the completion of this dissertation. - The National Research Foundation for their financial assistance. The views in this dissertation are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the NRF - The staff of the Ferdinand Postma Library at the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University for their assistance. I express my gratitude towards Mrs. Gerda van Rooyen for her help. My gratitude to my supervisor, Professor AM de Lange, for his guidance, inspiration and patience. I have learned much. I wish to thank Professor Jakob Lothe, Professor Jeremy Hawthorn and Dr. Harry Sewlall for their discussions with me and interest in my topic. They have aided the growth of my thinking. I thank my parents for their financial and moral support, and the opportunities they gave me throughout a lifetime, and my mother-in-law for her interest and practical help. My brother, sisters-in-law and friends have expressed interest in my work and has been exited for my part. I thank them for their involvement. I thank my children, Brink, Reinier, and Stephan, who inspire me to become all I can. They have expressed interest in my work, especially "Heart of Darkness" and have had immense patience with a studying mother. I thank them for filling the house with laughter and joy, and for making my heart feel warm with the love I feel for them. I am a rich woman. To my husband Etienne, I have not the words: I wonder by my troth, what thou, and I Did, till we loved? were we not weaned till then? But sucked on country pleasures, childishly? Or snorted we in the Seven Sleeper's den? 'Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be. If ever any beauty I did see, Which I desired, and got, 'Was but a dream of thee. And now good morrow to our waking souls, Which watch not one another out of fear; For love, all love of other sights controls, And makes one little room an everywhere. Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone, Let maps to others, worlds on worlds have shown, Let us possess one world, each hath one, and is one. My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears, And true plain hearts do in the faces rest. Where can we find two better hemispheres Without sharp North, without declining West? Whatever dies, was not mixed equally; If our two loves be one, or thou and I Love so alike, that none do slacken, none can die. Soli Deo Gloria ABSTRACT Conrad's description and the sense of space in his texts have long intrigued readers, critics and even fellow authors. Within the context of the complexities of Modemism, understanding the relationship between Conrad's description, space and spiritual identity is imperative for an understanding the complex fabric of his work. This dissertation is an attempt to investigate this intriguing dynamic in three of his texts, namely An Outcast of the Islands (1896), Lord Jim (1goo), and "Heart of Darkness" (1899). The dissertation first takes a cursory look at the crisis of the Modernist age in chapter one. A brief discussion of the related ideas propounded by the philosophers of the time, such as Freud, Nietzsche and Bergson, as well as influences such as colonialism and industrialization provides the background to the central themes in Conrad's work. After this, the study introduces the three texts under scrutiny. The thesis argued in the dissertation is that Conrad employs his unique descriptive techniques in describing space in order to indicate the main characters' identity crises which arise from, amongst others, their morality and spirituality. The main characters are all isolated and confronted to re-examine the self, which throws them into a crisis concerning the essence of their spiritual identity. The characters' interaction with and perception of space becomes a reflection of their moral and spiritual quest to "become", to find meaning, purpose and harmony. The investigation of the interaction between description, space and moral and spiritual identity starts off by examining Conrad's descriptive techniques based on an analysis of An Outcast of the Islands in chapter two. The chapter attempts to clarify these techniques, which include delayed decoding, the prominence of nature description, colour symbolism and chiaroscuro, while the subsequent analysis reveals how Conrad's description of space foregrounds the main character's problematic spiritual identity. The second step towards an understanding of the mechanism in Conrad's work pays attention to the main character's attempts at reconstructing his moral and spiritual identity through cycles of interpretation. Chapter three includes an analysis of Lord Jim iii that aims at uncovering the character's process of looking, misinterpreting, looking again, adjustment, perhaps repeating the process several times. Chapter four turns the investigation towards the experiential element of the text. Throughout the processes that the characters undergo, the overwhelming and impenetrable atmosphere which they encounter contributes to their spiritual identity crisis. Conrad's descriptive techniques also involves the reader in the emotional experience of the character, since the reader too finds the atmosphere overwhelming and impenetrable. This chapter delves into the ways in which Conrad succeeds in creating such an atmosphere by means of description through an analysis of "Heart of Darkness". In chapter five the cathartic moments of all three texts are analysed. The characters' identity crises gain momentum until they bring each character to a pivotal moral choice and a process of adjustment. This moral choice highlights the character's conception of God and spirituality, and the character's integrity is tested, as well as the success the character had in adjusting his spiritual framework and integrating his view of God. The three texts present the reader with diverging results, indicating the verisimilitude of Conrad's work. With this interaction between description and space Conrad succeeds in touching the very essence of human spirituality and identity. It brings the reader to a deep understanding and a first-hand experience of the complexity of the human condition. OPSOMMING Conrad se beskrywing en sin vir ruimte in sy tekste prikkel lank reeds lesers, kritici en selfs mede-outeurs. Binne die konteks van die kompleksiteite van Modernisme, is 'n begrip van die verhouding tussen Conrad se beskrywing, ruimte and spirituele identiteit noodsaaklik vir 'n begrip van die kornplekse aard van sy werk. Hierdie skripsie is 'n poging om hierdie dinamika in drie van sy tekste te bestudeer, naamlik An Outcast of the Islands (1896), Lord Jim (1900), en "Heart of Darkness" (1899). Die skripsie kyk eerstens kortliks na die krisis van die Modernistiese tyd in hoofstuk een. 'n Kort bespreking van die betrokke idees wat die filosowe van die tyd, soos Freud, Nietzsche en Bergson, sowel as die invloede soos kolonialisasie en industrialisasie, verskaf agtergrond vir die sentrale temas in Conrad se werk. Hierna word die drie tekste wat bestudeer word bekend gestel. Die tesis wat in die skripsie beredeneer word is dat Conrad unieke beskrywingstegnieke gebruik om die karakters se identiteitskrisisse aan te dui wat spruit uit, onder andere, hulle rnoraliteit en spiritualiteit. Die hoofkaraters is almal gekoleer en word gekonfronteer met 'n heroorweging van die self, wat hulle in 'n krisis aangaande die essensie van hulle spirituele identiteit dompel. Die karakters se interaksie met en persepsie van ruimte word 'n refleksie van hulle morele en spirituele soektog om te "word, om betekenis, 'n doel, en harrnonie te vind. Die ondersoek na die interaksie tussen beskrywing, ruimte en morele en spirituele identiteit begin met 'n ondersoek van Conrad se beskrywingstegnieke, gebasseer op 'n analise van An Outcast of the Islands in hoofstuk twee. Die hoofstuk poog om hierdie tegnieke, wat uitgestelde dekodering, 'n prominensie van natuurbeskrywing, kleursimboliek en chiaroscuro insluit, te verduidelik, terwyl die daaropvolgende analises aandui hoe die beskrywing van ruimte die karakters se problematiese spirituele identiteit belig. Die tweede stap in die rigting van 'n begrip van die interaksie tussen beskrywing, ruimte en identiteit in Conrad se werk gee aandag aan die hoofkarakter se poging om sy morele en spirituele identiteit te rekonstrueer deur sirkels van interpretasie. Hoofstuk drie sluit 'n analise van Lord Jim in, wat poog om die karakter se proses van kyk, misinterpretasie, weerkyk, aanpassing, en die herhaling van die proses, aan te dui. Hoofstuk vier fokus op die ervaringselement van die teks.
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