Structures Of Feeling In Heart Of Darkness

Joseph Conrad is a transitional novelist from the Victorian Age to the modern world. His Heart of Darkness has accumulated much acclaim as well as denunciation from critics. In spite of all the interpretations from all the versatile schools of literary criticism, critics seldom notice the odd inconsistency between the characters' discourse and practice, which yet reveals profound historical and cultural undercurrents.This thesis attempts to uncover the structures of feeling of the Victorian Age through a detailed analysis of the divergence between the characters' words and their actions. It is divided into three parts.The first part introduces briefly Joseph Conrad's life and his artistic mottos, which would enhance our understanding of the cultural background of his writings.The second part prepares us for the theoretical preliminaries, mainly explaining three concepts—structure of feeling, ideology and hegemony as well as the complicated relationship among them.The third part analyzes in details the hidden inconsistencies and anxieties of different characters within the novella, especially their uneasiness and odd reactions to the imperial advocacy from the dominant classes. This highlights Conrad's cognition of the falling morality and the social values that have changed at his time. Yet behind all the disorder and corruption in the imaginary world, Conrad shows readers his confidence in the future of society and human beings.In short, this thesis attempts to manifest the pre-emergent culture of the Victorian Age for readers to understand more of the authentic feelings that Conrad captures in his time.