LIFE AS READING: RAZUMOV’S INTERPRETATIVE SITUATION IN UNDER WESTERN EYES
LIFE AS READING: RAZUMOV’S INTERPRETATIVE SITUATION IN UNDER WESTERN EYES
Author(s): Joanna KurowskaSubject(s): Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Polish Literature, Other Language Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: interpretative situation; cognitive prejudice; community; tradition; the symbol of stranger; communication; speech; silence; moral choice;
Summary/Abstract: This essay analyzes the interpretative situation of Razumov, the main hero of Conrad’s novel Under Western Eyes (1910). Challenged by a fellow student named Victor Haldin, Razumov must navigate through his internal experiences (past, present, and those anticipated by him in the future), as well as through external stimuli—which he has little experience to understand fully—in order to arrive at morally meaningful decisions. Communicative aspects of Razumov’s encounters, first with Haldin, then with his sister Natalie, are discussed in greater detail; particularly Razumov’s use of speech and silence, first to conceal but ultimately to reveal the truth.
Journal: Yearbook of Conrad Studies (Poland)
- Issue Year: 2017
- Issue No: XII
- Page Range: 71-86
- Page Count: 16
- Language: English