Waterways of the Earth
Waterways of the Earth
Joseph Conrad
Perhaps the reason Conrad's Heart of Darkness remains provocative for us is because we are still contained within its horizon. The chapter unlocks this question by considering Conrad in relation to issues of nationalism and the transnational, particularly in terms of his Polish upbringing and his decision to go to sea. It also considers him in relation to problems of narration, especially his need of a figure such as Marlow (‘no ordinary seaman’), in the light of Conrad's own massively troubling visit to the Congo. Other major Conrad texts are explored — Lord Jim, Nostromo — before the discussion returns to Heart of Darkness to consider its relation to Empire: a world without end or horizon, where the waterways of the earth both connect and divide. Conrad, who made the link between navigation and fiction emblematic, remains a haunting yet prescient figure for us today.
Keywords: Conrad, Empire, Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Marlow, nationalism, narration, navigation, Nostromo, transnational fiction
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