Heart Of Darkness Under Deconstructive View

Joseph Conrad, the British novelist of Polish origin, who has occupied a prominent position in the history of literature, is widely regarded as a major figure in the transition from Victorian fiction to the more perplexed forms and values of twentieth-century literature. As his most famous novel, Heart of Darkness has been one of the most controversial texts which attract the attention of many critics to adopt various approaches on analyzing it.Being a prevailing literary critical method, deconstructive criticism, which intends to dismantle the certain and unique meaning in text, offers a fresh approach to literary works. This thesis attempts to make analysis on Heart of Darkness under the guidance of deconstructive approach, especially the deconstructive idea of Jacques Derrida and the rhetorical deconstructive analysis of J. Hills. Miller. Through the analysis of narration, rhetorical devices and the expressions concerning about truth in this novel, this thesis attempts to show the paradoxical, uncertain and unstable elements in this text, thus embodies the failure of both the protagonist, Marlow's journey of seeking for truth and his narration of this journey. By means of this, this thesis intends to explain how the inability of language and the inaccessibility to truth are embodied in this novel, consequently illustrates that Heart of Darkness is a text which dismantles itself.This thesis consists of the introduction part, three chapters and the conclusion part.The introduction part provides general information about the present criticism on Heart of Darkness.Chapter One gives a general introduction to Joseph Conrad and his Heart of Darkness, together with the brief explanation to deconstruction and deconstructive criticism. The critical reputation Conrad has gained, his influence in the literary field and some aspects of his writing devices are included, followed by some critical ideas...