Date of Award
Summer 6-2023
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School
Humanities
Committee Chair
Joshua Bernstein
Committee Chair School
Humanities
Committee Member 2
Ery Shin
Committee Member 2 School
Humanities
Committee Member 3
Charles Sumner
Committee Member 3 School
Humanities
Committee Member 4
Alexandra Valint
Committee Member 4 School
Humanities
Abstract
This project analyzes Conrad’s use of description in his narratives in light of the 1897 Preface to ‘Narcissus.’ Conrad’s elevation of description stands in contrast to Gérard Genette’s account of narrative theory but within the space Mieke Bal makes for the reconsideration of description within the theory. Narrative theory provides the terminology for specific narrative moments in which Conradian description can be analyzed—the narrative opening, the narrative pause, and various narrative levels. In addition to analyzing Conradian works, the project traces the evolution of Conrad’s thinking about description throughout the course of his career and invites the reader to rethink the role of description more generally in narratives, thereby asking how and why we relate to works like Conrad’s and how we absorb them as readers.
ORCID ID
0009-0009-5414-8194
Recommended Citation
Pearson, Autumn, "Deciphering Description: A Study of the Works of Joseph Conrad" (2023). Dissertations. 2158.
https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/2158