| Joseph Conrad and the Fiction of Autobiography Contributor(s): Said, Edward (Author), Rubin, Andrew (Foreword by) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0231140045 ISBN-13: 9780231140041 Publisher: Columbia University Press OUR PRICE: $103.95 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: January 2008 Annotation: Edward W. Said locates Conrad's fear of personal disintegration in his constant re-narration of the past. He uses Conrad's personal letters as a guide to understanding the author's fiction, drawing an important parallel between Conrad's view of his own life and the manner and form of his stories. Said also argues that the author, who set his fiction in exotic locations like East Asia and Africa, projects political dimensions in his work that mirror a colonialist preoccupation with "civilizing" native peoples. Said then suggests that this dimension should be considered when reading all of Western literature, signaling the beginnings of his groundbreaking work, "Orientalism," |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Eastern European (see Also Russian & Former Soviet Union) - Literary Criticism | European - General - Literary Criticism | Semiotics & Theory |
| Dewey: 823.912 |
| LCCN: 2007030511 |
| Physical Information: 0.74" H x 5.83" W x 8.26" (0.83 lbs) 248 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Eastern Europe - Cultural Region - British Isles |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Edward W. Said locates Joseph Conrad's fear of personal disintegration in his constant re-narration of the past. Using the author's personal letters as a guide to understanding his fiction, Said draws an important parallel between Conrad's view of his own life and the manner and form of his stories. The critic also argues that the author, who set his fiction in exotic locations like East Asia and Africa, projects political dimensions in his work that mirror a colonialist preoccupation with "civilizing" native peoples. Said then suggests that this dimension should be considered when reading all of Western literature. First published in 1966, Said's critique of the Western self's struggle with modernity signaled the beginnings of his groundbreaking work, Orientalism, and remains a cornerstone of postcolonial studies today. |