Civilization and Barbarism in Joseph Conrad's Novel 'Heart Of Darkness'

Seminar paper from the year 2011 in the subject Literature - Modern Literature, grade: 18.5/20, , course: Modern Novel, language: English, abstract: How Civilization and Barbarism as presented in Joseph Conrad's Novel 'Heart Of Darkness: Modernism is trend in the art of XX century, characterized by a break with previous historical experience of artistic creativity and the desire to adopt new, unconventional start in the art, the continuous upgrading of art forms, as well as the convention (schematization, abstract) of style (Kolocotroni, Goldman and Taxidou 20). Modernist paradigm was one of the leading in Western civilization first half of XX century in the second half of the century it has been subjected deployed criticism. Joseph Conrad may be considered to be one of the great modernist writers. In his works, Conrad was first to use narrative tool of 'perspective' when the action is transmitted through the perception of several people. This tool is widespread in modern prose. For example, in the novel 'Lord Jim', the story is on behalf of not only the title character, but also Captain Marlowe (he acts as narrator in 'Heart of Darkness'), as well as other characters. Joseph Conrad (real name - Józef Korzeniowski, 1857-1924) was classic of English literature of the twentieth century. He was born in the Russian Empire in a family of Polish patriots, members of anti-government protests. In 1874 he fled to Marseille, and worked as a cabin boy on the French merchant vessel, and three years later, during a voyage to the Pacific Ocean, for the first time began to learn English (Bloom 30). Eventually he became captain of the British passenger fleet, and maritime experience gave Conrad material for his literary works. After resigning, he devoted himself entirely to literature and the mid-nineties began to publish novels, novellas and short stories, once that found its readers. Conrad was able to enter into the first rank of writers of literature's oldest, established in the language, is not for his mother - it happens very rarely. Throughout the twentieth century, his reputation grew with each decade, because the clearer became his role as one of the founders of modernism. Conrad's supreme achievement is short novel 'Heart of Darkness.' [...]