Reflections On Conrad's Narrative Techniques In Heart Of Darkness

Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest forerunners of Modernism, Joseph Conrad, the Polish Expatriate turned French Dandy then experienced sailor and at last prestigious English writer. His mysterious life and the multi-cultural identity fostered by Polish, French and English background contribute to his ambivalent ideology and sensitivity in nature, which is manifested in his diversified narrative techniques in his novel creation. For Conrad, art, however, is helping to"make you see"-the highest artistic achievement for him.After a whole century, especially under the present circumstances of multi-culture, the study on Conrad shows its unique significance. With the combination of the great work of Heart of Darkness, the essay aims to analyze the techniques employed in Heart of Darkness from the following perspectives:The first chapter mainly discusses the subtle employment of the two-layer narrators. The second chapter focuses on the shift of narrative perspective. The unique narrative perspective makes the novel closer to the reality. The third chapter analyzes the narrative technique of delayed decoding. Through the device of delayed decoding, Conrad elevates the novel's appreciation, attracts the reader's aesthetic attention and delayed the revelation of the theme. In the conclusion part, it is stressed that though the thesis analyzes Heart of Darkness only from the angle of narrative techniques, the study on narratology should not limit on the level of techniques but combine with the study on the works'theme.