조셉 콘라드의 『어둠의 속』에 나타난 말로우의 트라우마와 서구 제국주의 공동체에 증언하기 (Marlow’s Trauma and His Testifying to the Western Colonial Community in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness)

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· 저자명 : 김민경

초록

This study aims to explore the trauma experienced by narrator Charlie Marlow in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness following the accidental witnesses of the brutality of Western imperialism during his journey to the Congo Free State. In this novel, Marlow narrates his experiences on the Congo River to his fellow crew members while his boat, Nellie, is anchored on the river Thames. However, the atrocities of white imperialists in the Congo River basin are not described literally but metaphorically; further, the historical context is implied, and the central content has been transposed, making it difficult to find. Hence, this paper attempts to analyze the difficulty of Marlow’s narrative style in describing the testimony, concluding that his traumatic experiences make it impossible for him to fully convey what happened in Congo at that time.
In Heart of Darkness, which was written based on Conrad’s own experiences, the events Marlow witnessed when he went to the Congo River are regarded by him as ‘speechless terror’, as if representing Conrad’s position. Many critics have analyzed the reality and ethics of imperialism presented by Conrad and in particular have discussed the trauma experienced by the character Kurtz. However, little research has been done on Marlow’s trauma. Consequently, it is explored in this paper drawing on the perspective of Cathy Caruth and Jacques Lacan, and his testimony concerning the terrible events he experienced is also examined.

영어초록

This study aims to explore the trauma experienced by narrator Charlie Marlow in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness following the accidental witnesses of the brutality of Western imperialism during his journey to the Congo Free State. In this novel, Marlow narrates his experiences on the Congo River to his fellow crew members while his boat, Nellie, is anchored on the river Thames. However, the atrocities of white imperialists in the Congo River basin are not described literally but metaphorically; further, the historical context is implied, and the central content has been transposed, making it difficult to find. Hence, this paper attempts to analyze the difficulty of Marlow’s narrative style in describing the testimony, concluding that his traumatic experiences make it impossible for him to fully convey what happened in Congo at that time.
In Heart of Darkness, which was written based on Conrad’s own experiences, the events Marlow witnessed when he went to the Congo River are regarded by him as ‘speechless terror’, as if representing Conrad’s position. Many critics have analyzed the reality and ethics of imperialism presented by Conrad and in particular have discussed the trauma experienced by the character Kurtz. However, little research has been done on Marlow’s trauma. Consequently, it is explored in this paper drawing on the perspective of Cathy Caruth and Jacques Lacan, and his testimony concerning the terrible events he experienced is also examined.

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