My first impression of the novel is that Joseph Conrad is an avid follower of “show, not tell” in his writing. He writes in such detail that it is easy to imagine the dark and gloomy expanse that was former Africa. While some parts of the novel need a lengthy description, other parts of the story could have been better off without it, for example, the first two pages of the novel. As if reading a classical novel isn’t daunting enough, Conrad writes in such depth that if his details were tranquilizers he would have put an elephant to sleep. However, my new saying is to never judge a book by the first couple of pages. The book really begins with the introduction of Marlow, the mysterious seaman who raptures his friends with a story from his past.
After his depiction of how the Romans viewed the new world, Marlow starts with his tale when he desired to visit Africa. I liked how the novel changed the point of view from the narrator to Marlow. Marlow has a unique dialect because his speech is very quick and connected. There were barely any sentences that didn’t have an ‘and’ or a pause to add a quick phrase. I had to reread many paragraphs since I couldn’t remember what the original thought was. Some parts of Marlow’s numerous monologues brought up some questions. Why does most of the novel so far refer to things in the vague third person? Ships were called “she’s,” and some people were called “they.” Another question was why did Marlow seem immune to the need for human contact? While on his trips he was rarely with someone else. Lastly, Marlow comments on his aunt’s behavior by saying all women are “out of touch.” I wonder if today’s men still share this view.
posted by Kayla H.
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Great attention to Conrad's writing style. How do you think Marlow's speech patterns add to his characterization? Do you still feel that the detail is enough to put an elephant to sleep?
ReplyDeletehey kayla! i definetly agree with that theory that Conrad is a "show not tell" person, He uses a lot of details to illustrate imagery. And i was thinking the same thing about Marlow saying that "women were out of touch" and i found myself saying "some things dont change" i think sometimes the modern day man will see a women doing something "simple" and automatically categorize them as "out of touch" or unknowing". but the boys can't take all the blame. i know we as women or atleast some women categorize things that men do as "brute force" and don't think anything otherwise. As a wise women once said "you can't judge a boook by it's first couple of pages" ;)
ReplyDeleteHi kayla! i definetly agree with you that Conrad is a "show, not tell" writer in the way he uses excessive details. And i agree with you in having to read lines several times because the dialouge was very confusing and i didn't know who was who. And as far as Marlow referring to women as "out of touch" i believe some modern day men still do think that about women and some think that women are "simple minded" or "unknowing" but i would like to believe there aren't that many out there anymore. But men can't take all the blame because i also think they're are some women out there who categorize men too by some of their actions rather than the man on a whole. Like a wise women once said "never judge a book by the first couple of pages" right? ;)
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