Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Joseph Conrad and the Anxiety of Knowledge
Joseph Conrad and the Anxiety of Knowledge
Joseph Conrad and the Anxiety of Knowledge
Ebook317 pages7 hours

Joseph Conrad and the Anxiety of Knowledge

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

()

Read preview

About this ebook

An alternate view of the perplexing and often contradictory fiction of an elusive author

Few if any writers in the English language have been cited, praised, chided, or marveled at more routinely than Joseph Conrad for the perplexing evasiveness, contradictoriness, and indeterminacy of their fiction. William Freedman argues that the explanations typically offered for these identifying characteristics of much of Conrad's work are inadequate if not mistaken.

Freedman's claim is that the illusiveness of a coherent interpretation of Conrad's novels and shorter fictions is owed not primarily to the inherent slipperiness or inadequacy of language or the consequence of a willful self-deconstruction. Nor is it a product of the writer's philosophical nihilism or a realized aesthetic of suggestive vagueness. Rather, Freedman argues, the perplexing elusiveness of Conrad's fiction is the consequence of a pervasive ambivalence toward threatening knowledge, a protective reluctance and recoil that are not only inscribed in Conrad's tales and novels, but repeatedly declared, defended, and explained in his letters and essays.

Conrad's narrators and protagonists often set out on an apparent quest for hidden knowledge or are drawn into one. But repelled or intimidated by the looming consequences of their own curiosity and fervor, they protectively obscure what they have barely glimpsed or else retreat to an armory of practiced distractions. The result is a confusingly choreographed dance of approach and withdrawal, fascination and revulsion, revelation and concealment. The riddling contradictions of these fictions are thus in large measure the result of this ambivalence, their evasiveness the mark of intimidation's triumph over fascination.

The idea of dangerous and forbidden knowledge is at least as old as Genesis, and Freedman provides a background for Conrad's recoil from full exposure in the rich admonitory history of such knowledge in theology, myth, philosophy, and literature. He traces Conrad's impassioned, at times pleading case for protective avoidance in the writer's letters, essays, and prefaces, and he elucidates its enactment and its connection to Conrad's signature evasiveness in a number of short stories and novels, with special attention to The Secret Agent, Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Under Western Eyes, and The Rescue.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 7, 2014
ISBN9781611173079
Joseph Conrad and the Anxiety of Knowledge
Author

William Freedman

William Freedman is professor emeritus of English literature at the University of Haifa and a professor of English at Sakhnin College for Teacher Education in Sakhnin, Israel. Freedman is the author of Laurence Sterne and the Origins of the Musical Novel, The Porous Sanctuary: Art and Anxiety in Poe’s Short Fiction, More Than a Pastime: An Oral History of Baseball Fans and three books of poetry.

Related to Joseph Conrad and the Anxiety of Knowledge

Related ebooks

Literary Criticism For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Joseph Conrad and the Anxiety of Knowledge

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars
0 ratings

0 ratings0 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

    Book preview

    Joseph Conrad and the Anxiety of Knowledge - William Freedman

    DUFUt^yꚧ7HOۚHiW~|ɞȵ5duU^l~mS~+7.ꩯ ׯ~{8?'w^=yv!_yׯO߸ggߜu}bw]6Cv)c6t]/N8~wصyu(|/c_mSQnw-B1j{IJat?+kKtfWbܯC\zQzƯBU^C[ӬZYDž/] ?].M~峷뇏_|uY7|y}6~ڻ?/Ὧݝ0oG6b}p<6qՇ;>6#n}8_|_}><ʩ?-'yq/NN=M&Exj웦x(z|5}gn6j,|v:3tҝ!M׼5yx'sM\ mtg谊]wWW_O:ueW.~Mkc H :r_ŅN`xXdۈݬ:.l`p uA.}mס&J vX־ e״9zԼͮ!Wgo.G4z:aEl,~{ܬ)֗ ?`;90*>{݋ǢF:d.cwU=WEx,j 羽7Mo/_6]n^|ݴ.V;uols_B˭[xcƭmo=oM&z@Z2:}(y>M=8Mx}Gѝ^aLi5 [y}{_7wg.~s.pPL!ӿRKf[7D3N v;՜&AeV2z'-_TY;4m]6\kn?ueB8wߟ<8Au|c;\ț()6Jq~4j:Tqϧ}6mm'mB\;|;H;k~>;rowRyث#_b7 h=wkx>oJ,wc1) XOo{S6RC:nJPw]ײ9t7SCGXi:=4va8k]O-TS]Z.Q^Wqh:aUa`w;7l. Y4]E?[y5Kx yVQ::Ȏ{ڵt2eFR:"%v~_ uUЦH`eB(/zi0d?dbR%agRC%1LRta]yoǍ4<~iAfC؅RO}i\[! p]wm< n/͐Z;#R;a߈ñCú,?!wT䵜Rv|5c)n˥+b"Uшku(nguz/SIˠ nxd&0l@ܖ?bsKνK@|cUU4,n5˿O݃x6pn>%:lzlj) hq-ע{5o-&D oQZ] ʹ5RKu5Լ,TNΣw ވr0"D6~~{;)aIs>CIT ]\GFkYEC灐_ӪYC,vD#Cl}4-C /~.8Y2|ݏ]z:|?ǻܝ`2T\fh;U)K6:JyR~αO&mx.9,.\ ߊ Rp*U:%cҚq3x/i/QZ!(.`hE\{-9'xRo?ɽVM 4 vPWn({zۖlEF;{Dݲ+yn B$VDD.xGCQdsaCڨUڥ_ZR-B?@ЎD)^w[+wf ̜(I a;רACTgFVn)_5X^LSᏻq?#@5):[7uOj%2gw`ژ$U/#~N px-DĦM/@tъ+꩞Q"GK<j'ւ!AFQ/g:˧- NGBY5 L,1 ?hg1™vw&?(LP xw6Ofc\ dp^//ٖL'߳ QQԎ0` L72Хi8vIlM;,$Mgc1ahFp4Oo* q D;r&&B*>)~^#241s%oA44Ea ̌|GA[x~9A]nW˧Uj~#F/3AӌP-P wnNTPɽ\/tUbfND9I# VoVAm@=)_gV4IXBO֌qRyrdf.f,edM/2(d 8a  O,xMͶZȹK*c{6Y.h\;ٮl8-INGȺIR#h1F 0IGCӲI2D!, Q.CL Fq|zƪDP$ULGs/[HXoF*e蹄XUGBAdԄhZKfh}^erņ8 ^AxkeOUaˡV'&3} =59e}6CoA{JR'=V͸ȝV"1u 7~0y( '6jghfd[0bdU}1!dxPS6fc2rm&K.x aFIG3 _2# tc7e.Y.#%FLCJЖ,`sZU"GKaIp6nW Q ]Q.DOV=Ž-L Vr8)4BYQ˦]?5Wx]ng9KnL0\ +ΘқnX^% +Pafn !4#.],JGo2"]{@KnnLFO㏆`mAz@2&vθ[`!͠139㔴މ.Q6TMXRJ [j{@E94wJ`40IR-7}+G"O4]}? ޼uGK ܱh~+; qrSmm0'Cl_)6q/ ]zW v@2wnK(.|̩mԲզYbU,k5Ǟ:di*h's)(K( y>}ò[W[WGb|j%YíůۆE?FlJKAv|ʚ4H *OX\b5`y ]n9 r1sə1OMyۻn.51UerJe$Yf<&5o*Á8ɷ)&gͥ^Kh$&̪L+t9(ZzôJpfƒkBږ(+_L)$v0YAߑ!eb=0V1>/XE9 T $թu‰sP0ZZߥzl=wD}ƝxV㳦N-I0 P5[:aƔM~ʄx xR`"8fQYL/SL=`h23em}JPe憀ðf6c!%+%x4>`\ʃ8_@_,HdxSEм^|YR2:&_ǔQ$Kdۓ%)yY4="<";)YS-}Z6%۔̦4*moY2NM_`bvzą9 w픂!_^!M]M t|p%x ]Iδ5NFY/H"NmCl|L2D.6K!I>baX f((c /.upBWX44X*=׋}EQ=פΑX*V{وv\-*~NtB2!A(L vKP1B+l86K@ ?͔4R6~/R" wƪw!V<).1.4-g }|1i..3E::$ّGz'fя`Ba͋(ͤGLZLf+ݨ@d\3݅ai2xATzfQ0VkJ3cH1U`>qJ'C]RZYB `t f-ZE"%˴bҬ"+Zcj&ZvwY9*#HjqމMW9hYKYt'A6qgKbg佘:i1 Wq)"X@w >ɝǩ /]<;sw]Kwn;(k˔AĘRZCV&LrP )BGݖOBVoe6m*"m$9zBdM(kS+(3kz:2 LRǮRomy؝rrh-tń6xCO" 7V9){Ց8tEYb/뭈0mSMq(dyQܲ|İCC%)_5*CR'TBNY}}f(@rBI5cB:xI2IËk:/(<&F/̌q'EId4b>(ŶYEm*tcc,7ĮbK̝]+ XRp3JC`3U#DdFIc}xm d[d_lՌ3Ne)-P:?Di\ x9 qE.sԓbppٝ cNa,Ϩ31(KP'ZO"sn>kTǪL^lۦhθ  k$olNnO,ď,+L\"ZE.J1cfLbq<;v!Xvc)E 90 pM$U֥h-A nШל0,( $+@ 4jq0Sꈥ'K)`ɬnDf1'񶬈 Ge(I_:+H\Y ye?y|zFߏ?}w62HcJ_6ү,\{]Vǔ$K45`4ss,!Df 5[`UZcbkkEyBk>~ٱ1lϱ8иNsx9B^Wu#lu|$lkS_g֏ S2/cb̂uP`g~nizí)PjVu[fdz piX!(3IPnZ'AzkXhKbykِ(T] KD+WV,oM rK2m-(W]H״\rjy}d 1XOK)LS-]bɰ]>kov>#ZV%LKm$=,V{eKx7FӽXbm!tBűSSRZ훫|%h=?ku HL%k3a`TY*kYf$C%&Q@K8Bo_u%ܥYIa0}%Xlx̺[.pAðpe,H"Y9g&*u5ڽeOi=r0S2՜F~~5z;F%kCϒ?Udє0hbPn+]v*``E&̂pCS.W%F%x9k|a?^В eN[P`,eϚIVpʖ7վH|;]b{U7ytλBgY'掀$En_/q.D U0*:G<H fZI, Pgd[ԢZ. -bUncuDAb>5r9Nݕ>ﮆy^u 4,mV8S FL4Kf׆`a-SK/Jo9rF,F)R(E+Y3Ħm]cm|:g4EuM'3R,]h,SƏe;Dg &c~6X n3O C:^*^G4nHjj`@ֹ6fU)Φ+=oVwDU؇I[+@-\ M0}36Қj~=;uxŻXϓf֩c(b,+["I;=lGЄѭ3'NkX D 6G)7-E&٦4$mi-HO/㟈;es@1%]|]ʅg~C^/jAU?NN</$Sm0w/a%LckM[$L+IȀeVXK/TrƄ^-,eHDY FSf]S\S$pA^Œjs7KdBnRjzF㠛`)ZI˟i9)tT%M$%*h'r;M}ui3+yMU7DYzk$hGE2.+hgJ2TZ|gi <II䓗Xuɷjy6 niWeҕJPV4Lk4p& bXZ厍"cWc{>S&ò{De#lA2Ga!=a霊ooN]kliX/F xTB1|I<ݞǥU>zj6ql%4'g3V}ǛQ=tPLr"c/S#٩ ń_Ѽ*dJ'[j8& 592L~K cE?rgax;u%Qиv*ʩLWw|UUcf3uJ҈_lJ;*{:g!.bSMx#sca0#צ-̸%.YJfv1E c˦;v09<<>h p$7ݒj.;4 !H*b̿oUtNSx|#|%܋MӴEH1Qp937ٮ%`Y 礒&a;/R>0\)O\wzbGZ{p~é9"['澤3a>/烴>Wjq\}*O3[ș,5e6A0X)eW 9dyl ߆DcT6XBics1b\I}3zhRMnc+fB e$2r]?rsH<E5 Bkqkb@?,Y SnxDq`aH5#c/BYlQ3}yuQb6qIɉ{7( &N ٙyX |&S/:,iy@7̳_V`V3}IA)N oϜ}̧9\ƶʩv֑lz "~.&Lrߛ /c+BHQsԧҽ,?D9O7^קhgcQHb%[y loEUpMYOwҋ ,|[{Ӡv/)[DN*td-?*iJ@/1F7"[iNۉtQD:ƚ:k@Tg|f JrT 2zKyŹ*2z Jׅ nxB/YojaԷNၓ KwlWOs(,q褈4:\]B8I6E"$02)fBz,#I7XgFlI* DA$tV&;b1H&R&E\˹cGp嵼WWSAKf92*JB*Oj$hX:r<,CH;YfFt)gEW&n:Fّ)hֹ=/sbii[PRl,-AtgXX2j : lI :Ki.G"M:DY8?-#=!;ԮpMNj7}3%E}H$\o bĽ|oPXFOW wr`Il\$ag$/[jb[%9 J_$UN@HkY\1L9Ulh'-IЭiOB:a[?Ƚ5nl迀ajN ԃݥ`G%boa1j&SvS6=7\sҎ l*b4 ]&'O)0VI 9A*!›L,w5; 焫mMBN]E%3QTu\:fVn
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1