Narratives In Conrad's Novellas

In modem British literature, Joseph Conrad (l857- 1924) is rather speciala figure. A Pole by birth who hardly knew any English until the age oftwenty-one, he later became an oUtStanding novelist in the English langUage.A seaman in the eary years who did not devote himself to writing until the -l890s, after tWenty years at sea, he t-Umed out to be a prolific writer Wthinthe twenty-nine years of his writing careef, Conrad produced thirteen novelsas well as twenty-eight novellas, which won him worldwide reputation andestablished him as one of the leading ModemistS in the liteop world.With profound thematic implications, careful psychological analysis,and original narrative tecdrique, Conrad's works have occasioned greatappreciation and interpretation of different critical hands. Some early criticsconsidered Conrad a master of sea adventUres, While some interpreted him asan explorer of human consciousness; some conunented on his pessimism andskepticism, and some on his homesickness and "deracinement". Thoughvaried in their arguments, these early interpretations followed a general trendof thematic explofation, that is, they paid much attention to 'what Conrad'sfiction is presenting' rather than 'the presentation itse1f'. Until recent years,the original narrative technique of Conrad and its influence oncharacterization, meaning and suchlike have not concemed Conradiancriticism in a major way Volumes in this respect, as a result, came out oneafter another, among which are ConradS Narrative Method (Jakob Lothefl989) and JOsePh COnrad: Narrative Technique and Ideotogical COmmitment7(Jeremy Hawthom: l990) written in the line of narratoIogy These tWoinspiring book-length stUdies aPproached particular aspectS of Conrad'snotive tCcboque such as narrative persPective and voice, nativediscourse and nWive smictUre.' Following thes new Conrad research tendency, and based upon anundersboding of the cultul contextS and thematic concems of CoIirad'sworks, the paPer here allempts to deal with the narratives in Conrad'snovellas, which are said to be more experimental and more "modern" thanhis full-length novels. Since this is quite a big topic to discuss, and an overallinspection of Conrad's short stories seems impossible Wffon the limited timeand space here, ths thesis only refers to three well-known novellas ofvnying lengths as textual analysis bases, trying to investigate their distinctivenareative structures, noticeable narrative devices or characteristics, and thethematic effects of such strUctures and devices, in the hope that such ananalysis would help us to reach a better comprehension of Conrad's works,his narrative technique in paticularThe whole paPer consists of five chaPters. ChaPter One functions as ageneral introduction. Provided herein are brief statementS on the originaIityof Conrad's narrative technique, and on the narrative settings and thematic- concems of the novelIas chosen for consideration. Proceeding from his goaIas a writer to "make you heap make you feel, and before all, to make yousee", Conrad himself remains always unseen in his stories. Characters mayserve as narraors themselves. Or an trinvolved nator may observe anddescribe them, penetrating their conscious and unconscious minds,channeling their perceptions tO the readeL Thus it is 'showing', rather than8telling, that Conrad's fiction alms at. And this is just where the originalityof his narrative technique lies. For further textUal illustraion, tliree novellasare selected here: An OutPost Oftwss, Heart Of Darforess and The SecretSharer. These stories are all based largely on Conrad's personal experiences,or rathef, on his trip to the Congo in l890; they are also somehowthematically related, presenting the "darkness" of colonia1 rule, the dangersof solitude and man's growth from self ignorance towards seIf mastery; yet -their distinctive narratives vmp to some extent. In these three nove...