THE STEREOTYPE OF RUSSIA IN THE WORKS OF JOSEPH CONRAD (Stereotyp Rosji w twórczosci Josepha Conrada)

• Authors: Kopkowski Rafal
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

This article is an analysis of the way in which the image of Russia is constructed in Joseph Conrad's fiction. Examined in the context of some of the key statements representing the ideological and literary standpoint of Polish Romanticism, Conrad's view of Russia is usually characterized as second-hand and stereotyped. The author of this article finds this judgment too severe and argues for a more nuanced approach to the problem. First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between Conrad's handling of Russian themes in his fiction and in his political journalism. Whereas the latter - especially the article 'Autocracy and War' - appears to mirror the anti-Russian clichés and topoi that functioned in the 19th-century Polish mentality, his novels contain anything but a simplistic view of Russia. The best proof of the profound complexity of Conrad's image of Russia can be found in 'Under Western Eyes'. Consequently, an analysis of the multidimensional structure of that novel constitutes the bulk of this article.

Keywords

EN

CONRAD JOSEPH - 'UNDER WESTERN EYES'; ENGLISH LITERATURE ( LATE 19TH & EARLY 20TH C.)

Discipline

• PHILOLOGY_&_LINGUISTICS: PHILOLOGY & LINGUISTICS

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Ruch Literacki
• Year: 2009
• Volume: 50
• Issue: 2(295)
• Pages: 155-170
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Kopkowski Rafal

• Rafal Kopkowski, c/o Uniwersytet Slaski w Katowicach, Wydzial Filologiczny, pl. Sejmu Slaskiego 1, 40-032 Katowice, Poland

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

09PLAAAA06916