The Space World In Joseph Conrad's Fiction

Joseph Conrad is considered as one"among the very greatest novelists in the language– or any language"and a forerunner of British modernism. Living in the period when British fiction art was in a dreadful plight and influenced by Western new concepts in philosophy, aesthetics, literature and art, and psychics, Conrad was one of the outstanding representatives who first attempted to break through the restrictions of old-fashioned creation criteria and model, and exerted themselves to reform fictional art. With a considerably broad horizon Conrad extracts the prime of unprecedentedly miscellaneous and fashionable arts and manages to reform the narrative form of the British fiction with a great success. Conrad has made profound innovation not only in the form but in the theme and technique of fiction, and all these jointly demonstrate the transition of the dominant factor from time to space in modern fiction. By the analysis of the space world in Conrad's fiction, this thesis argues that essential reformation has been accomplished from content to form in Conrad's novels such as Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Nostromo, The Nigger of"Narcissus"and The Secret Agent, and that the innovation embodies the tendency of reflecting the capriciously psychological space through marginalized geographical space and complicated spatial form art in modernism. This thesis attempts to illustrate the space world in Conrad's fiction by analyzing the geographical space that the author establishes, the spatial form that the context produces and artistic conception stirred among readers. The focus of the thesis is on the characteristics of music, sculpture and painting of Conrad's fiction, and the irreplaceable role that spatial form plays in demonstrating modern thinking. And all the above surely will shed light on the study of Conrad.This thesis falls into five chapters. The first chapter is introduction.Chapter Two examines the geographical space Conrad constructs in novels by categorizing three different spaces: the broad space of a lonely ship floating on the sea, the exotic space of Asia, Africa and Latin America, and the familiar space of European continent. Furthermore, it probes into the marginalization of physical spaces and its significance for the illustration of particular themes of modern world.Chapter Three mainly analyzes the textual space, i.e., the spatial form and more importantly the techniques resulting in the spatial form. It maintains that Conrad establishes the spatial form by endowing his fiction with the characteristics of music, sculpture and painting. Three aspects are highlighted: the musical art space formed through the application of counterpoint, the sculptural art space established through the employment of symbolism and the painting art space constructed through the employment of impressionism.Chapter Four explores the space of artistic conception established among readers. It is devoted to the analysis of the general effect of geographical spaces and textual space on readers from the perspective of reception aesthetics, mainly the space of systematic image integrating sound, color with motion, and complex emotional space stirred among readers.The last chapter is conclusion. A general demonstration and analysis of the space world in Conrad's fiction and the exploration into the interplay of different spaces, substance and form, are undoubtedly significant for understanding the trend of space development in modern fiction and the influence of form on content. This will help deepen the understanding of the characteristics, artistic conception and art innovation of Joseph Conrad's fiction.