Joseph Conrad And The Emergence Of Modernism In Literature

True Loneliness And the Heart Of Darkness

The Literary Style of Modernism

Discuss about the True Loneliness And the Heart Of Darkness.

“Who knows what true loneliness is – not the conventional word but the naked terror? To the lonely themselves it wears a mask. The most miserable outcast hugs some memory or some illusion.”

The above quoted lines of Joseph Conrad clearly outline the underlying theme of most of his popular literary works. Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski or more commonly Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) is often considered to be one of the earliest preachers of the literary style of Modernism (Luebke, 2014). The author Conrad was born in the nation of Poland however later he became a citizen of the nation of England. It is interesting to note that the major part of his life was spent in the sea as he used to work on the various ships. Therefore, the various seas as well as the sea voyages form an important part of the majority of his literary works. The literary style of Modernism was a reaction to the Victorian style of writing which was much criticized in the works of literary personnels like Matthew Arnold and others. In the opinion of Peter Childs (2016), “[Modernism] is associated with attempts to render human subjectivity in ways more real than realism: to represent consciousness, perception, emotion, meaning and the individual’s relation to society through interior monologue, stream of consciousness, […]defamiliarisation, [and] irresolution”. Most of the literary works of Conrad falls under this particular genre outlined by the critic Peter Childs. Jackson Pollock gives a pertinent account of the work of the most modernist artists when he says “The modern artist is working with space and time and expressing his feelings rather than illustrating”.

The novel “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad, published in the year 1899, is often considered to be a typical demonstration of his art of modernism.  The novel since its publication has received much critical accolades from the various critics and at the same time has received much criticism as well because of the unorthodox style of the narration. The novel seeks to highlight the journey of its narrator Marlow in the land of Africa. In the novella, the narrator goes to Africa in search of the procurement agent Kurtz and is shocked to see the things which the European traders have done to the natives of Africa (Lawtoo, 2012). Thus, the novella is often interpreted in terms of the connotations of post-colonialism as well (Lawtoo, 2012). The style of narration which the author Conrad used in this particular novella was too revolutionary for its times and thus talking about the style of the novel G.K. Chesterton in his book “Heretics” says “In the glad old days, before the rise of modern morbidities…it used to be thought a disadvantage to be misunderstood”. However, in the present day context the novella is often considered to be one of the pioneers of the literary genre of modernism.

Joseph Conrad: The Pioneer of Modernist Literature

In the course of the novella Marlow who goes in the land of Africa in search of the procurement agent Kurtz says “It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream—making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream-sensation, that commingling of absurdity….We live, as we dream—alone.…” (Conrad,2016). This statement forms one of the central fulcrum around which the entire novella revolves and gives a pertinent account of the journey undertaken by Marlow in the land of Africa and the importance of the search undertaken by them. It is to be noted that modernism is often considered to a drastic break from the various precepts of realism which form the central fulcrum of the narrative style of the Victorian Age.

In this particular novella “Heart of Darkness” Conrad seems to break away from that fulcrum of narration and creates his own style of narration with the help of the unreliable narrator Marlow. It is to be noted that in this particular quotation and as a matter of fact in the major part of the novella the narrator seems to be hovering between the two realms of reality and fantasy as when he says “We live in the flicker — may it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling! But darkness was here yesterday” (Conrad, 2016). In another section of the novella the narrator says “Droll thing life is — that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself — that comes too late — a crop of inextinguishable regrets” (Conrad, 2016). Furthermore, a common tendency of the modernist literary artists was to explore the mysteries of the soul and try to give logic to them. It is to be noted that at this particular time the “The Interpretation of Dreams” by Sigmund Freud was published and psychology was making much progress in trying to understand the unconscious of the individuals. The remark of Marlow where he says “ He struggled with himself, too. I saw it — I heard it. I saw the inconceivable mystery of a soul that knew no restraint, no faith, and no fear, yet struggling blindly with itself” becomes very significant in this particular context (Conrad, 2016). Another important unconventional device used by the author for the narrative purpose was the use of flash backs as well as memory for the purpose of narration. This becomes apparent in the statement of Marlow when he says that “It was written I should be loyal to the nightmare of my choice” (Conrad, 2016). In addition to this, another important precept of the literary device of modernism was the portrayal of the grim conditions of man admist the present day hostile conditions. Thus, the narrator of the novella comments that “But his soul was mad. Being alone in the wilderness, it had looked within itself and, by heavens I tell you, it had gone mad” (Conrad, 2016). In the opinion of Peter Childs (2016), the major difference between the modernist and the postmodernist artist lies in their representation of chaos. The modernist artists try to resolve the chaos and come out of it whereas the postmodernist artist enjoys the chaos. Thus, it would not be too far-fetched to say that the novella “Heart of Darkness” of Conrad hovers between the line of modernism and postmodernism. It is a reflection of this that the narrator of the novella Marlow says that “It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core” and “Watching a coast as it slips by the ship is like thinking about an enigma. There it is before you, smiling, frowning, inviting, grand, mean, insipid, or savage, and always mute with an air of whispering, “Come and find out”” (Conrad, 2016).

An Analysis of ‘Heart of Darkness’

Conrad gave a pertinent account of his modernistic art work in his letter to Blackwood “I am modern, and I would rather recall Wagner the musician and Rodin the Sculptor who both had to starve a little in their day—and Whistler the painter who made Ruskin the critic foam at the mouth with scorn and indignation. They too have arrived. They had to suffer for being new”. It is to be noted that if the novella “Heart of Darkness” is taken into consideration this particular remark of Conrad becomes very pertinent. In this particular novella for the purpose of narration Conrad takes the help of an unreliable narrator who even further increases the mystery surrounding the story. In addition to that the narrator uses a non-linear form of narration in which the incidents are not narrated in a sequential manner. Moreover, the author further his style of narration tries to portray the grim condition of the atrocities committed by the European trades and the harmful effects of the excursions of the European trade in the continent of Africa. Joseph Conrad in his literary work “An Outcast of the Islands” says “It’s only those who do nothing that make no mistakes, I suppose”. Therefore, this particular novella of the author can be seen as the attempt of the author to venture into the unchartered territories of modernism and post-colonialism. In addition to that the novella also makes uses of the technique of stream of consciousness, a concept which would be popularized later in the literary works of Proust, D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf and others. The author makes use of this particular tool to give a modern aura to this particular novella and make the narrative more appealing to the readers.

Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that Conrad was one of the most important pioneers of the modern literary art of modernism. It is to be noted that the literary style of modernism was a reaction to the realism which was very much in vogue during the Victorian Age. However, the novella “Heart of Darkness” of Conrad received much criticism due to its unorthodox narrative which is now considered to be a landmark in the history of modernistic literature. The narrative style used by the author in this particular novella became a standard for the later writers of the modernist genre like D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf and others.

References

Childs, P. (2016). Modernism. Taylor & Francis.

Conrad, J. (2016). Heart of Darkness (Fourth International Student Edition)(Norton Critical Editions). WW Norton & Company.

Lawtoo, N. (Ed.). (2012). Conrad’s’ Heart of Darkness’ and Contemporary Thought: Revisiting the Horror with Lacoue-Labarthe. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Luebke, S. (2014). Heart of Darkness. Joseph Conrad Today, 39(2), 16.