Joseph_Conrad约瑟夫_康拉德

JosephConrad(1857-1924)oneofthegreatestnovelistsintheEnglishlanguageHisLifeJosephConradwasborninBerdyczów(nowinUkraine)intoanimpoverished,highlypatrioticPolishnoblefamily.HisfatherApolloKorzeniowskiwasawriterofpolitically-themedplaysandatranslatorofAlfreddeVigny,VictorHugo,CharlesDickensandShakespearefromtheFrenchandEnglish.HeencouragedhissonConradtoreadwidelyinPolishandFrench.Conrad'sfamilyshowedsimilarpatrioticbeliefs.Bobrowski,anothermaternaluncle,resignedhiscommissioninthearmyandwasimprisoned,whileRobertandHilaryKorzeniowski,twofraternaluncles,alsoassistedinplanningtherebellion.(Robertdiedin1863andHilarywasimprisonedandexiled.)AllofthispoliticalturmoilwouldprovetobepredictablydisturbingtoyoungJosef,whocouldonlystandidlybyashewatchedhisfamilyinvolvedinsuchdangerouscontroversy.Thenotionofthestrongoppressingtheweak—andtheweakpowerlesstorevolt—surfacesinHeartofDarkness,wheretheWhitetraderswantonlymurdertheCongoleseinpursuitofrichesandpower.TheFamilyEarlyyearsasasailorDuringhisearlyteenageyears,Conradreadagreatdeal,particularlytranslationsCharlesDickens'novelsandCaptainFrederickMarryat,anEnglishnovelistwhowrotepopularadventureyarnsaboutlifeatsea.Attheageof16,ConradwenttoMarseilleandbeginacareerasaseaman.In1878hepassedhisexaminationsformastermariner,thesameyearhebecameaBritishcitizen.VoyageIn1878,Conradsufferedfromdepression,causedinpartbygamblingdebtsandhisbeingforbiddentoworkonanyFrenchshipsduetohislyingabouthavingtheproperpermits.Hemadeanunsuccessfulattemptatsuicide,shootinghimselfthroughtheshoulderandmissinghisvitalorgans.HisDeathConraddiedofheartfailureonAugust3,1924.HewasburiedinCanterburyCemeteryandsurvivedbyhiswifeandsons.Stillhonoredbymillionsofreadersasoneofthegreatestmodernwriters,Conradleftbehindalargebodyofworkwhosenaturehedefined(inhisPrefacetoTheNiggeroftheNarcissus)asasingle-mindedattempttorenderthehighestkindofjusticetothevisibleuniverse,bybringingtolightthetruth,manifoldandone,underlyingitseveryaspect.JosephConradSquareLiterarycareerTheNiggerofthe“Narcissus”(1897)concernsatubercular（患结核病的）Blacksailorwhoseimpendingdeathaffectshisfellowcrewmeninanumberofprofoundways.LordJim(1900)examinestheeffectsofacowardlyactandhowthisact‘smoralrepercussions（反应，影响）hauntamanuntilhisdeath.(LordJim'sstoryistoldbyMarlow,thenarratorofHeartofDarkness.)In1902,ConradpublishedTheSecretAgent(1907)concernsagroupofanarchists（无政府主义者）whoplantoblowuptheGreenwichObservatoryUnderWesternEyes(1911),setinnineteenth-centuryCzaristRussia,followsthelifeofastudentwhobetrayshisfriend—theassassin(刺客）ofagovernmentofficial—totheauthorities.TheSecretSharer(1912)usestheDoppelgangertheme(whereamanmeetshisfigurativedouble)toexaminewhatConradviewedastheshiftingnatureofhumanidentityandtheessentialisolationofallhumanbeings.OthernovelsmarkedbytheessentialConradianthemesincludeTheInheritors(cowrittenwithFordMaddoxFord,1901),Victory(1915),andTheShadow-Line(1917).Conradalsoturnedtoautobiography:TheMirroroftheSea(1906),APersonalRecord(1912),andNotesonLifeandLetters(1921).InfluenceSomeofConrad’sworksincludingHeartofDarknesshaveinspiredfilmmakersandsuchauthorsasF.ScottFitzgerald,GabrielGarcíaMárquez,D.H.Lawrence,andVirginiaWoolf.HehasalsobeengroupedwithothersuchesteemedauthorsashisfriendStephenCraneandRobertLouisStevenson.CoppolathedirectorRevisedfromHeartofDarknessHeartofdarkness--oneofthe100bestnovelsThestoryreflectsthephysicalandpsychologicalshockConradhimselfexperiencedin1890,whenheworkedbrieflyintheBelgianCongo.Thenarrator,Marlow,describesajourneyhetookonanAfricanriver.Assignedbyanivorycompanytotakecommandofacargoboatstranded（搁浅）intheinterior,Marlowmakeshiswaythroughthetreacherous（危险的）forest,witnessingthebrutalization（残忍）ofthenativesbywhitetradersandhearingtantalizing(挑逗性的）storiesofaMr.Kurtz,thecompany‘smostsuccessfulrepresentative.HereachesKurtz’scompoundinaremoteoutpost(前哨）onlytoseearowofhumanheadsmountedonpoles.Inthisaliencontext,unboundbythestrictures（谴责）ofhisownculture,Kurtzhasexchangedhissoulforabloodysovereignty,butamortalillnessisbringinghisreignofterrortoaclose.AsMarlowtransportshimdownriver,Kurtzdeliversanarrogantandemptyexplanationofhisdeedsasavisionaryquest.TothenarratorKurtz‘sdyingwords,“Thehorror!Thehorror!”representdespairattheencounterwithhumandepravity（堕落）--theheartofdarkness.Thisbolicstoryisastorywithinastoryorframenarrative.ItfollowsMarlowasherecountsfromduskthroughtolatenight,toagroupofmenaboardashipanchoredintheThamesEstuary,hisCongoleseadventure.Thepassageoftimeandthedarkeningskyduringthefictitious（虚构的）narrative-within-the-narrativeparalleltheatmosphereofthestory.Conrad'sUseoftheFrameTaleFirst-timereadersofHeartofDarknessmaybeinitiallypuzzledbyConrad‘sdecisiontohaveMarlow’sstorytoldtothereaderbytheanonymousnarratorwholistenstoMarlowonthedeckoftheNellie.SuchareadermaywonderwhyConradwouldmakeHeartofDarknessaframetaleatallandnotsimplybeginwithMarlowtellingthestory,asmanyfirst-personnarrativesdo.ThereasonisthatConrad‘sframenarrator,likethereader,learnsthathisideasaboutEuropeanimperialism（帝国主义）arefounded