Dialektyka światła i ciemności w prozie Josepha Conrada
The Dialectics of Light and Darkness in Conrad’s Fiction

Author(s): Monika Malessa-Drohomirecka
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Literary Texts, Essay|Book Review |Scientific Life
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: light; darkness; pessimism; dialectic; fear; the unpredictability of the worldy; symbolism
Summary/Abstract: Man’s predicament at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was a constantsubject of concern for Conrad and it permeated his work. Recurring imagesof light and darkness – which have meaningful implications – convey this anxiety.A play of light and darkness reflects the conflicts and contradictions that arise withinthe human soul. Shadows, mist and the dazzling light of the tropical sun – which canmake us lose our bearings – suggest the inscrutability of human condition, while theglimmering flame of candle light portrays the fragility and uncertainty of the worldand the human soul, both of which elude cognition. The symbolism of light and darknesswhich depicts the mysteriousness of human nature has become a characteristicfeature of Conrad’s fiction.

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