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| Semester | spring semester 2013 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Ladina Bezzola Lambert (ladina.bezzola@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | How Józef Teodor Nałęcz Konrad Korzeniowski became Joseph Conrad and one of the great novelist in English is an adventure story in its own right. Born of Polish parents in the Russian-dominated Ukraine, Conrad was orphaned as a child and came under the guardianship of his uncle. At the age of 16, he left Poland to go to sea. At the age of 21, with no command of English, he joined the British Merchant Marine and began his life at sea that was to supply so much material for his writing. After twenty years, he gave up the sea and embarked on a literary career, writing exclusively in English, his third language. His novels often draw on autobiographical materials or on stories he heard or read about, yet Conrad cannot properly be called a realistic writer. While he was fascinated by the processes of modernity such as urbanization, imperialism, colonialism and globalization, his works have a deeper symbolic and psychological dimension, offering a perspective on the human condition as determined by evil forces both without and within. His writing explores new narrative techniques even as it appears haunted by what it can't say. |
| Learning objectives | In this seminar, we will read and discuss a selection of Conrad's major novels ranging from different stages in his writing career and set in different parts of the world. We will approach these works from different critical angles (stylistic, narratological, historical, political) and focus on topics such as the representation of race and class relations, subjectivity, ideas about power, progress and repression, morality. |
| Bibliography | "The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'", ed. Allan H. Simmons, Penguin Classics, 2007 (ISBN: 9780141441702) "The Secret Agent", ed. Michael Newton, Penguin Classics, 2007 (ISBN 9780141441580) "Heart of Darkness", ed. Robert Hampson, Penguin Classics, 2007 (ISBN 9780141441672); "Lord Jim", ed. Allan H. Simmons, Penguin Classics, (ISBN 9780141441610) "Nostromo", ed. Veronique Pauly, Penguin Classics, 2007 (ISBN 9780141441634) These books are ordered at "Labyrinth" bookstore. Additional primary and secondary texts will be made available on the course server (ISIS). |
| Weblink | ISIS |
| Admission requirements | Successful completion of BA. |
| Course application | Please register on ISIS. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|
No dates available. Please contact the lecturer.
| Modules |
Modul English & American Literature (Master's degree subject: English) Modul Literaturgeschichte (Master's degree program: Literaturwissenschaft/Literary Studies/Etudes Littéraires) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | t.b.a. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |