A Conflict of Values: Alienation and Commitment in the Novels of Joseph Conrad a

A Conflict of Values: Alienation and Commitment in the Novels of Joseph Conrad and William Faulkner - In Commemoration of the Centenary of William Faulkner's Birth and the 140th Anniversary of the Birth of Joseph Conrad

Soft cover. Zustand: Very Good. 1st Edition. Scarce paperback, 198 pages, NOT ex-library. Book is clean and bright, untanned, with unmarked text, free of inscriptions and stamps, firmly bound. Light handling wear only. Gently shelfworn covers. -- A comparative literary study that explores the thematic and structural parallels between the works of Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad and American Southern writer William Faulkner. It focuses on the internal tension between an individual's isolation from society (alienation) and their moral or social obligations (commitment). The study introduces a new methodology in comparative literature by examining an "oxymoronic" balance - where characters may simultaneously experience deep alienation and a form of "unconscious commitment". Branny examines how characters in both authors' works struggle with a sense of being outsiders, often caught in a "darkness" that threatens their moral stability. The author distinguishes between various types of commitment, including verbal, moral, subverbal, and unconscious. For example, she explores the "verbal and moral commitment" found in the relationship between Marlow and Kurtz in Heart of Darkness. Historical and Theoretical Context: The book begins with an extensive survey of previous Conrad and Faulkner scholarship and includes a comprehensive bibliography of works in both English and Polish. The study focuses on four primary novels to illustrate its arguments: - Joseph Conrad: Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim. The analysis provides new complexity to characters like Marlow and Lord Jim, particularly regarding the "reciprocity" between Marlow and Kurtz; - William Faulkner: Absalom, Absalom! and The Sound and the Fury. Branny finds "positive commitment in the face of darkness" in characters such as Caddy Compson, Shreve, and the narrators of the Compson family's decline. The book has been noted for its arguments regarding the "oxymoronic" dimension as a major link between these two modernist giants. It also highlights specific literary devices, such as denegation, which Faulkner is often credited with but which Branny argues Conrad utilized effectively much earlier. Artikel-Nr. 012952

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