Post Modernism and Post-colonialism in Joseph Conrad selected Novels: A Glimpse

Abstract

Joseph Conrad (1857–1924), is one of those authors who considered the people of colonized countries as savages, barbarians and uncivilized that must be under the colonization and control of the civilized and superior countries like England. Among his works, Heart of Darkness (1899)—which is about a sea voyage upward the famous African Congo River toward the Congo Free State—is narrated by the first-person point of view narrator and protagonist named Marlow showing the intention and thoughts of the author about a colonized country. Consequently, the aim of this paper is to study the notion and concept of post-colonialism through the lights of the critics like Edward Said, Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Spivak and Achebe on Joseph Conrad’s novel named Heart of Darkness. As many other discourses, through the history literature paid one of its most important attentions to show and reveal such mentioned post-colonial characteristics and influences as well. Thus, an actual reader of literature can comprehend the fact that some authors are to be considered as defenders of colonizer countries while some others are on the opposite side and are the defenders of the colonized countries. The first group are called the agents of imperialism while the second group are the defendant of the colonized people.