Encounters with Symbolic Ambiguity: The Knitters of Black Wool in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
Encounters with Symbolic Ambiguity: The Knitters of Black Wool in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness
Author(s): Pavel PetkovSubject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts, Foreign languages learning, Anthology, Studies of Literature, Polish Literature, Eastern Slavic Languages, Translation Studies, Theory of Literature
Published by: Великотърновски университет „Св. св. Кирил и Методий”
Keywords: Joseph Conrad; Heart of Darkness; knitters; symbols; ambiguity.
Summary/Abstract: In this article I discuss Joseph Conrad’s novella Heart of Darkness, focusing on two female characters who appear early in the text – the knitters of black wool. I examine the scene at the office of the Trading Company in Brussels to emphasise its importance in Conrad’s text. First, I focus my attention on the younger knitter, arguing that despite the seeming obscurity of this character, her presence in the text is significant: I explore how she functions as a symbol and the ways in which she is related to certain later moments in the novella. In the second part of the article, I include the older knitter in my analysis and I discuss the office scene in its entirety.
Journal: Studia Philologica Universitatis Velikotarnovensis
- Issue Year: 43/2025
- Issue No: 3.2
- Page Range: 343-352
- Page Count: 10
- Language: English
