Impressionism in Conrad and Joyce
Impressionism in Literature:
Joseph Conrad & James Joyce.
This essay attempts to give a brief comparison between two of the major representatives of the English Modernism, James Joyce and Joseph Conrad. Although these two writers come from very different backgrounds, they share the rejection of conventional realism and the search for new way to approach reality. In doing this, I will focus on the presence on Impressionistic ideas and in the new methods they will employ to depict reality.
First of all, a swift definition of Impressionism in literature should be given.
Many critics have argued that both in Joyce´s and Conrad´s writings we could find impressionistic ideas, a new methodology of acknowledging the human experience. Impressionism have is origins in a exhibition in 1984 of a group of painters in which Monet stood out. Although the group was not especially homogeneous, they characterized by represent the way in which one person sees something at one moment in time, impressions of a particular and singular moment. They focused in the sensorial aspect of how human beings experience the world giving great stress to subjectivity. In order to do this, they employ light and colour which produce a sensorial impact on the onlooker.
In this liking way, literature tries to adapt the new techniques of painting to writing. They also stress subjectivity rejecting the old traditional emphasis upon order, thought and clearness. They provide us with a new perspective of the relation of individual with everyday world relaying on the sensorial aspects of the experience. Apart from that, we find another particular characteristics in impressionistic writing: They rejected traditional emphasis on order and clearness, usually related with the conventions of Realism. Ambiguity prevails through the narration being the reader who has to form his own conclusion about the story The moment and the ephemeral is also very important. Description usually are
Joseph Conrad & James Joyce.
This essay attempts to give a brief comparison between two of the major representatives of the English Modernism, James Joyce and Joseph Conrad. Although these two writers come from very different backgrounds, they share the rejection of conventional realism and the search for new way to approach reality. In doing this, I will focus on the presence on Impressionistic ideas and in the new methods they will employ to depict reality.
First of all, a swift definition of Impressionism in literature should be given.
Many critics have argued that both in Joyce´s and Conrad´s writings we could find impressionistic ideas, a new methodology of acknowledging the human experience. Impressionism have is origins in a exhibition in 1984 of a group of painters in which Monet stood out. Although the group was not especially homogeneous, they characterized by represent the way in which one person sees something at one moment in time, impressions of a particular and singular moment. They focused in the sensorial aspect of how human beings experience the world giving great stress to subjectivity. In order to do this, they employ light and colour which produce a sensorial impact on the onlooker.
In this liking way, literature tries to adapt the new techniques of painting to writing. They also stress subjectivity rejecting the old traditional emphasis upon order, thought and clearness. They provide us with a new perspective of the relation of individual with everyday world relaying on the sensorial aspects of the experience. Apart from that, we find another particular characteristics in impressionistic writing: They rejected traditional emphasis on order and clearness, usually related with the conventions of Realism. Ambiguity prevails through the narration being the reader who has to form his own conclusion about the story The moment and the ephemeral is also very important. Description usually are
Bibliography: Kronegger, Maria E. “Literary Impressionism” Ed.: New Haven, CT : College & University Press, ©1973. Czlapinski, Mercedes. “Literary Analisys of Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad.” Helium.<http://www.helium.com/items/855651-literary-analysis-heart-of-darkness-by-joseph-conrad>