Joseph Conrad: biography and best works. The hero acts in an exotic setting. Brief description of the plot

George Gordon Byron (1788-1824)

Features of the Byronic hero using the example of the poem “Corsair”

Goals:

Deepening students' understanding of the principles of romanticism;

An overview of Byron's work and life;

Consideration of the characteristics of the Byronic hero as one of the main principles of Byron's romanticism;

Development of skills in analyzing the text of a work of fiction.

Today we will talk about one of the most interesting poets of his time, a man who, having entered literature, immediately became the idol of European readers. This poet is George Gordon Byron.

We will pay special attention to the main character of the poem “Corsair”. Such a hero evoked imitation in all European literature and was called the “Byronic hero.” We will try to determine its main characteristics.

Please note to epigraphs written on the blackboard:

“Byron’s Lyre had to resonate in its century, being itself the voice of its century”

(D.V. Venevitinov).

“It seems that in our century it is impossible for a poet not to respond to Byron...” (P.A. Vyazemsky).

“The Corsair” owed its incredible success to the character of the main character, who mysteriously reminds us of the man whose fatal will then ruled one part of Europe...” (A.S. Pushkin).

But first, let's remember the features of romanticism as artistic method.

What is romanticism?

When does it occur? Under what conditions? (French revolution of 1788-94, 1804 - Bonoparte declared himself emperor and France an empire. In Italy, there was a movement of Carbonari who tried to curtail Austrian rule. In Greece, the liberation movement flared up in the 20s.)

What hero appears in literature? (rebel and artist).

Where does this hero operate? In what setting?

What other principles are characteristic of this direction? (interest in history, interest in the past..)

Thus, the basic formula of novelism is: an exceptional hero in exceptional circumstances.

2. So, the exceptional hero we will talk about is a rebel, a corsair.

But who created this hero, did the personality of the creator influence the hero? To understand this, we must get acquainted with some facts from the life of Lord Byron.

To do this, we will listen to our experts, who will tell us a little about this person. (Students give a presentation about the poet.)

As we see, the poet’s life cannot be called calm. Now let's move on from the personality of the author to the character of his hero. But first, let's learn a little about the history of the creation of this poem.

At the end of June 1809, Byron and his friend Hobhouse set off on a two-year journey. It had great value for the development of his personality and poetic gift. It started from Portugal, then the cities of Spain began. From Spain, Byron went to Malta, then to Greece, Albania, Constantinople and returned to Greece again.

The result of Byron's journey was his poems. Beginning in 1813, from the pen of Byron one after another came romantic poems, which later became known as “oriental”. The following poems belong to this cycle: “The Giaour” (1813), “The Bride of Abydos” (1813), “The Corsair” (1814), “Lara” (1814), “The Siege of Corinth” (1816) and “Parisina” (1816) . This definition in full, if we mean color, applies only to the first three; in “Lara,” as the poet himself pointed out, the name is Spanish, and the country and time of the event are not specifically indicated; in “The Siege of Corinth,” Byron takes us to Greece, and in “Parisina” to Italy. There is a well-known logic in the desire to combine these poems into one cycle, suggested by common features, characteristic of all the named poems. In them, Byron creates that romantic personality, which later, mainly in the 19th century, began to be called “Byronic”

So, the poem "Corsair".

Who is the main character? What's his name?

What kind of life does Conrad lead?

What brought him to this?

What is Conrad like in appearance?

What principle underlies Conrad's character? Pick up the evidence.

Select episodes that clearly characterize this character.

Let's try to generalize: let's give general characteristics this character. To do this, we will divide into three groups, and each group will characterize some aspect of the character’s character.

First group: Conrad's relationship with people, with society.

Second group: Love in Conrad's life.

Third group: The meaning of the elements in revealing the image.

Experts will evaluate.

So, let's combine the resulting fragments:

K. is not destined by fate for evil deeds, he took the path of crime as a result of persecution from society, the character of the hero is dual, he leaves people, has a passionate soul that knows how to love, a strong character that knows how to subjugate people, is not understood by the people around him, mysterious.

Conrad is the hero who represents the most clean sample romantic worldview in all of Byron’s work, and the poetics of “The Corsair” is a characteristic example of the construction romantic poem. The plot is based on climax episode from the life of a hero, deciding his fate; neither his past nor the further development of his life are described. The hero is taken at the moment of the highest tension of vital forces, in circumstances that are exceptional even for his robber life. At such moments, a person’s character is revealed to the end, and the demonic, gloomy, majestic character of Conrad is created in the poem with the help of various artistic means: a portrait, the author’s characteristics, the attitude of the women who love him towards him, but mainly through a description of his actions. One of the leitmotif images of the poem is the image of the sea, so characteristic of all of Byron’s poetry; freestyle sea ​​element becomes a symbol of freedom for him.

Similar heroes, as we have already said, will appear later, for example, the character of Conrad greatly influenced Pushkin’s poem “The Prisoner of the Caucasus.”

Homework: find in the lyrics of Pushkin of the southern period poems written under the influence of Byron. Analyze them.

In 1812-1816. Byron created a number of lyric-epic poems, known in the history of literature under the name “Eastern”: “Guyar”, “The Bride of Abydos”, “Corsair”, “Lara”, “The Siege of Corinth”, “Parisina”. Byron himself did not unite them into a single cycle, and the action of these poems did not always take place in the East: Byron uses ethnographically accurate oriental flavor to add special drama and freshness to an already known plot.

The Author's personality emerges weakly, in contrast to “Pilgrimage...”. Most often, a fictitious narrator participates (on whose behalf it is spoken - a person disinterested in the events taking place and therefore impartial). The lyrical element is associated only with lyrical digressions depicting the beauties of the East. Each of the poems is dedicated to one of Byron’s close friends: “Guyar” - to Rogers, “Ab. Bride" - Holland. “Guyar” went through 13 editions.

All the poems are united by the type of romantic hero, free composition, open dramatic conflict, fatal passion that makes one devote his life either to revenge or to mysterious and enigmatic actions, some intriguing understatement and tension.

The general tone of the poems - sublimely tragic and poetic-lyrical - is determined by Byron's general plan, which is trying to philosophically comprehend the hero's conflict with reality. The heroes of all works are maximalists, they do not accept half measures, they defend the freedom of love and their personality to the last, choosing death if victory is unattainable. The death of a loved one leads to the death of the lover, if not physical, then spiritual. Both the past of the heroes and the ending of their destinies are mysterious. Compositionally, the poems are associated with the traditions of the ballad, which conveyed only the most intense moments in the development of the plot and did not recognize the sequential development of events.

In “The Corsair,” events develop sequentially, but the Author preserves secrets related to the characters’ past and does not give an unambiguous ending. This poem is the most significant in ideological and artistic terms, main character- a sea robber, a man who broke the law. But there is no passion for profit, for he lives the harsh life of a hermit.

He was trusting, but people deceived him, he became embittered and disillusioned with everything, speaking out not only against people, but also against heaven.

The romantic Byron thinks strictly as a rationalist. The anti-God motive arises as a consequence of the conviction that there is no justice in the world created by God! A powerful and mysterious hero suffers and is alone. Repeatedly there is a confrontation between two images: a snake, which, being crushed, is not defeated and stings, and a worm, which can be crushed with impunity. The image of a snake is associated with Conrad. But he has one joy that binds him to life - Medora’s love. She is the embodiment of the ideal, only with her the heart can be tender. The world and soul of Medora are 2 poles that cannot be connected. Conrad's tragedy is that he recognizes only his will, his idea of ​​the world. Speaking out against tyranny public opinion and the laws established by God, he in turn becomes a tyrant. However, Byron makes the hero think whether he has the right to take revenge on everyone for the evil of a few: the episode after the fight with Seid → in captivity and awaiting execution → here and remorse: “What seemed simple and light, suddenly became a crime on the soul.” – First awareness of the mistake. Secondly, when the slave of the Sultan who fell in love with him (a parallel with Lermontov’s “Prisoner of the Caucasus”), frees him, he returns home and sees the ship of the corsairs who are rushing to meet him: he never imagined that he could evoke love in the hearts of the pirates submissive to him.

The theme of individualism, the individual right of a person to decide what is good and what is evil, becomes more acute from poem to poem.

The further development of the lyric-epic genre in the poet’s work is associated with the creation of a cycle of so-called“Eastern Poems” , Byron writes them in the period from 1813 to 1816. These are the poems “The Giaour”, “The Bride of Abydos”, “Corsair”, “Lara”, “The Siege of Corinth” and “Parisina”.They are called “Oriental” because their action takes place either in the East, in Asia, or in the south of Europe - in an exotic natural setting. The originality of the “Eastern Poems” is most clearly manifested in the poem “Corsair”, created in 1814.

Unlike Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, The Corsair has a clear plot. This is the story of Conrad, the leader of the corsairs, sea pirates; in accordance with the requirements of romantic art, the story is given in fragments in the poem, the hero’s past is mentioned in passing:

He is among people the most difficult of schools

The path of disappointment has passed.

The corsair's past, like his future, is surrounded by an aura of mystery. The author reports that the hero, who had high ideals, became disillusioned with them when faced with cruel world. Byron points out the moral and psychological reasons that forced Conrad to leave civilized society and take the path of crime; he emphasizes the unusual nature of the pirate leader. In his youth, the hero had a special sensitivity to deception, betrayal, hypocrisy, and a deep mind. At the same time, he was distinguished by the depth of his feelings, impetuosity, and sincerity of his experiences, which ultimately led to disappointment in people and contempt for them. Now he is the leader of the pirates, taking revenge on the whole world for his disappointment.

Conrad is at enmity with the Turkish Pasha Seid. The central episode of the poem is the attack of pirates led by Conrad on Seid. The corsairs initially win, but due to the nobility of the leader, who gave the order to save the pasha's wives from the fire, Seid manages to defeat the corsair detachment and capture Conrad, who is waiting for him. cruel execution. It is important how the hero behaves in captivity: he is not afraid of death, he is only worried about how Medora will accept this news.

Byron seems to tear out a fragment from the hero’s life. Despite all the intensity of the events depicted, attention is focused on inner world Conrad, on his special relationship with the outside world.

The author reports that his hero considered virtue itself to be the source of evil. Disillusioned with ideals and people, he does not even believe in the possibility of honesty and virtue, which leads him to a break with the whole world. Conrad is similar to Childe Harold in his rejection of the world, isolation, and proud loneliness. But unlike the passive Harold, Conrad turns to action. The robbery and his war with the eastern despot Seid are an expression of protest against an imperfect world. However, Conrad combines hatred of all people with love for one single woman - the gentle and meek Medora. At the same time, Conrad’s love for Medora and hatred for the entire universe are interconnected. He tells Medora: “Love for you is hatred for others.” For him, his beloved is the embodiment of all that is beautiful, genuine goodness and nobility, in her Conrad finds what he has lost in himself, she is the embodiment of the ideal, and if he accepts the vicious world, he will inevitably reject Medora.

The presence in the hero’s soul of two feelings - love and hatred - is evidence of his exclusivity, which is also manifested in the fact that in Conrad’s soul there is a constant internal struggle, he is characterized by eternal excitement, continuous work of the soul. The beginning of the poem is typical: on a pirate island, robbers are feasting after a successful campaign. Only Conrad is not present at the holiday: he seeks solitude among the rocks, where he plunges into painful thoughts.

Byron used the technique of contrast in the poem, which helps create an image exceptional personality: Conrad is sharply contrasted with all the heroes of the poem - the vile and cowardly Seid, his immediate circle, the members of his gang, whom the hero looks at as a means of taking revenge on the world. He is contrasted with other pirates as a kind of being of a higher order, a bearer of reason and thought, enormous willpower. It is important that the hero enjoys immense authority; not only his enemies, but also robbers fear him:

We ourselves are scared, you know how fierce he is,

When suddenly a thought frightens him.

Conrad is not interested in booty, he is indifferent to wealth; The leader, like an ascetic, eats roots, wild fruits, and raw water. The purpose of his raids is not enrichment, but revenge on an imperfect world. And everyone around Conrad feels his superiority, submitting to him, obeying his powerful word, even one glance.

In the poem, Byron glorifies individualism. Rightly reproaching society for its imperfections, the poet relies on a lone rebel, on an exceptional person who is given the right to control the fate of a blind and dark crowd. In an effort to exalt the hero, Byron endows him with an exceptional appearance, which is depicted in typically romantic ways:

He is tanned, but the paler his forehead,

What disappeared into the blackness of thick curls;

Sometimes, involuntarily trembling, the mouth

The flight exposed the secret thoughts,

But an even voice and an impassive look

They hide everything that he keeps inside himself.

Who could look at him without fear?

His face was covered with wrinkles,

As if he was hiding in his soul

Burning of unknown passions.

With a single flash of eyes

He suppressed curiosity immediately:

Hardly anyone, if he looks point blank,

Could bear his inquisitive gaze.

The author does not give specific details of the hero’s appearance, noting only traditional romantic hero“black curls” and “pale brow”. Attention is fixed on the impression that the pirate makes on others, and on his special look.

The hero’s characterization is complemented by a “devilish grin on his lips,” which inspires fear. Byron compares Conrad to a monk, a snake. The dramatic element in the poem is important: the characters and Conrad himself reveal themselves in long monologues. Their speech is devoid of individuality: all the characters and the author are expressed in a single sublime language, characterized by increased expressiveness.Present in the poem and lyrical hero, expressing the author’s feelings: at the beginning of the third song of the poem the theme sounds ancient Greece, beautiful Hellas, whose beauty fascinates the lyrical subject.

The poem made a huge impression on his contemporaries: they were struck by the history of ruined human capabilities in modern society. One can observe a peculiar evolution of Byron's hero: Childe Harold is passive, the hero of the “Eastern Poems” is a rebel, an active person.

“Byron's Eastern Poems have much in common with A. S. Pushkin's Southern Poems. Dedicated to this problem great literature, primarily the works of V. M. Zhirmunsky, author of the book “Pushkin and Byron”. Matching “ Caucasian prisoner”, “Gypsy”, “The Robber Brothers” with Byron’s poem “The Corsair” allows you to understand not only Byron, but also the Russian classic. “The Gypsies” depicts a situation similar to “The Corsair”: Aleko leaves civilized society, disillusioned with it, rejecting the vices of his fellow citizens, who are “ashamed of love,” “drive away thoughts,” worship false, cruel laws and “ask for money and chains.” However, there is a significant difference in the interpretation of the heroes: Byron idealizes the hero-individualist - Pushkin, using the example of Aleko’s fate, shows the fatality of selfishness and individualism; he puts into the mouth of the old Gypsy the assessment of the hero: “You only want freedom for yourself.” Pushkin understood well the vulnerability of Byron’s position, characterizing him quite harshly but fairly: “Lord Byron, by a successful whim, elevated him to dull romanticism and hopeless selfishness.”

The different positions of the poets are explained not only by the difference in their creative individuals, but also different historical conditions of their life. Pushkin created his “Southern Poems” in an atmosphere of rising social thought associated with the Decembrist movement. Byron, on the contrary, worked during the period of the Bourbon restoration in France, during a period of severe disappointment in the results french revolution. This explains the predominance of mournful motifs in the work of the English romantic, the cult of an exceptional personality, in whose soul the disappointment, melancholy, and painful passions of an entire generation that had lost their best hopes. However, the expansion of Byron's horizons, especially after leaving England, led him to a certain revision of his views, to attempts to reveal the failure of individualism.
© Elena Isaeva

1. Main characteristics of a romantic hero.
2. The work of J. G. Byron as one of the founders of romanticism.
3. The image of Conrad in Byron’s poem “The Corsair”.

...And he, the rebellious one, asks for a storm,
As if there is peace in the storms!
M. Yu. Lermontov

Romanticism as a movement in literature and art began to take shape at the end of the 18th century as a result of the crisis of the ideas of rationalism that dominated the Enlightenment. Unlike the rationalists, the romantics appealed not to reason, but to feelings, giving priority to the personal over the social, the ordinary over the unusual, and often the supernatural. Romantics placed the individual, her aspirations and experiences at the center of attention. It should be noted that the romantics, whose attention was attracted by everything out of the ordinary, introduced into literature the image of a person endowed with extraordinary abilities and strong passions, misunderstood and persecuted by society. The hero of romanticism, as a rule, defiantly opposes himself to other people, the crowd, and often challenges more powerful forces, even God. The adventures of the romantic hero unfold against a background that is quite consistent with his demonic charm: this is either an exotic landscape of distant countries, or an ominous ancient castle, or something equally powerful on the imagination.

The ideas of romanticism had and continue to have a huge influence on European literature and art. One of the classics of romanticism, its founders, is the English poet J. G. Byron, who himself lived a life worthy of a romantic hero. Byron's work had a huge influence on many outstanding writers and poets. The tendencies that clearly manifested themselves in his work were called Byronism. This word is usually understood as a gloomy flavor of disappointment and loss of ideals, a feeling of collapse and protest against the gray routine and evil reigning in the world. Byron's hero is always a convinced individualist, despising the crowd, but at the same time suffering from loneliness and incomprehensibility by others, as well as from a deep internal conflict.

Let us consider the features of the Byronic hero using the example of Conrad from the poem “The Corsair”. The name itself speaks about the occupation of the main character of the work: Conrad is a pirate, a sea robber. However, in the 18th century this type of activity was not yet regarded as absolutely criminal and deserving of severe condemnation. The activities of corsairs were often secretly encouraged and supported by the governments of European powers: in this case, dashing sailors received special patents for privateering and were obliged to attack the ships of the enemy country, but not the ships of their fellow citizens.

However, there were also those among the pirates who acted at their own peril and risk. There is no doubt that the hero of Byron's poem also belongs to this category of corsairs. So, we find the first correspondence with the canons of romanticism: the hero of the work is an outcast, an outlaw. We may have different attitudes to the poeticization of the image of a sea robber, but we should remember that it is precisely such individuals, who have broken with society, challenging it with all their behavior, that are the object of attention of a romantic writer who is absolutely not interested in the correct, pharisaically righteous life of a respectable burgher .

In addition, we will easily discover that the hero of Byron's poem is by no means some kind of bandit ready to cut his throat for a couple of gold coins. Not at all! Severe discipline reigns in Conrad's squad; he himself not only does not drink wine, but is also unshakably faithful to his only beloved. In relation to women, Conrad is generally a true knight: during a raid on the pasha’s palace, he saves the wives of his enemy from a burning building, and not at all with the selfish goal of using the charming “living goods” for the entertainment of himself and his team. This is the image of a “noble robber”. It should be noted that such heroes are found in the legends of many nations. So we discover a few more characteristic features romanticism: the hero of the poem is an exceptional person in his organizational, moral and other qualities. In addition, a certain rapprochement with the legendary " noble robbers"is also a feature of romanticism - an appeal to folklore traditions and myths are not uncommon for romantic writers.

It is clear that such bright personality Such a person as Conrad is, according to the laws of romanticism, is simply obliged to live and act against a background that will better highlight the unique originality of this irresistible individual. In fact, the secret refuge of the proud exile is located on a picturesque island (probably somewhere in the Mediterranean Sea). A desperate corsair valiantly fights Muslim warriors against the backdrop of oriental nature and magnificent palaces - almost like a crusader knight fighting the “infidels.” However, the romantic flavor of the poem makes you almost forget how prosaic the purpose of Conrad’s raid is: it is just gold, vain earthly treasures, and not the shrine of the Holy Sepulcher. Byron's hero has a rather cool attitude towards God: Conrad is aware that in his illegal activities he is far from God, for which God does not help him. Conrad does not at all deny the existence of God and does not seek to challenge him demonically. It’s just that he and God, in the hero’s opinion, are immeasurably far from each other, and this state of affairs seems quite natural to Conrad. Therefore, in captivity, in prison, when Conrad awaits a painful execution, he is supported not by the thought of God’s mercy, but by pride and hatred of his enemies.

However, Byron's hero is not completely rejected by people and God. In the heart of Gulnara, the pasha's beloved, saved by Conrad, love for her savior suddenly flares up. The extremity of the situation and the extraordinary personality of the corsair awaken a feeling that is exceptional in its strength. Although Conrad does not promise Gulnara mutual love, he is faithful to Medora, even having lost hope of seeing her. The pasha's beloved, moreover, severely insulted by her high-ranking lover, arranges for the corsair to escape, taking the life of her master.

So we see unexpected turn in the fate of Conrad: just now he was awaiting death in chains, and now he is free again, like the wind blowing the sails of a ship. However, the gloomy spirit of romanticism looms like a black cloud on the horizon. Although Conrad attracted the hearts of two women, neither he nor either of them found happiness. His beloved Medora, short life who was worried about her beloved, died of grief when news of Conrad’s capture reached her. Gulnara, who stained herself with murder in order to save the corsair, does not find an answer to her feeling, and Conrad himself... The poem ends suddenly: we do not know where Byron’s hero will go, how his life will turn out further fate, And this is also in the tradition of romanticism. The stern and proud hero, like a comet, flashed before us for a moment in the rapid flight of the author’s imagination, and we are free to imagine his past and future as we please.

Joseph Conrad is a British writer, from whose pen such fascinating works as “Heart of Darkness”, “Typhoon”, “The Negro from Narcissus” came out.

Consciously distancing yourself from literary trends of his time, Joseph, with his works, was able to radically change the face of literature. Conrad, a Pole by birth, learned English as an adult and mastered it so well that he taught it to people who spoke it from birth.

Joseph Conrad: biography

Mine life path, which is a shining example to others, Joseph was not considered anything extraordinary. Two decades spent on the high seas, getting to know different countries and cultures, meeting new people - isn't this a life full of adventures?

Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski was born on December 3, 1857. Hometown- Berdichev (Ukraine). His father, the Polish nobleman Apollo Korzeniowski, was a member of the Polish liberation movement, for which he was arrested by the Russian authorities and exiled to Vologda in 1861. His wife Evelina and Yuzef, who was 4 years old at the time, followed her husband. In 1865, due to his wife’s illness, Apollo achieved a transfer to Chernigov. However, this did not save the family from a heavy loss: Evelina died of consumption. Father and son moved first to Lviv, then to Krakow. In 1869, Jozef's father died, leaving the 11-year-old boy an orphan. took the maternal uncle - Tadeusz Bobrovsky.

Life on the seas

At the age of 16, tired of school life, Jozef decided to become a sailor. The young man went to Marseille, where he joined a French ship as a sailor.

Over the years of travel, Jozef had the opportunity to sail on various ships; I even had to smuggle weapons. He thoughtlessly squandered the money he earned. Being an avid gambler and a big reveler, after a big loss he tried to shoot himself, but was unsuccessful: the bullet passed near his heart.

Since 1878, he switched exclusively to English ships, since Russian citizenship did not allow him to sail on ships of the French fleet. During these 16 years of sailing I mastered English language; in 1886 he received the rank of captain and British citizenship, and therefore officially changed his name to Joseph Conrad.

In 1890, he made a fascinating journey around the city. During the same period, he fell ill with rheumatism and malaria, which reminded him of himself until the end of his life.

Meet John Galsworthy

Years of sailing allowed Joseph to stock up on a huge amount of knowledge about the inhabitants different countries. First story English writer was called “The Black Navigator,” and the most important novel, “Heart of Darkness,” was based on impressions from a trip to Africa.

In 1893, Joseph met the writer, which grew into many years of sincere friendship. An aspiring author gave me a read famous writer manuscript of the novel "Ohlmeyer's Caprice", which was published in 1895. Then the novels “Exile”, “Lord Jim”, “The Negro from Narcissus”, “Nostromo” and “Heart of Darkness” were released.

The best books by Joseph Conrad

The story "Lord Jim" tells about the ship "Patna", carrying pilgrims to Mecca. The bad weather leads to the fact that the panicked crew, together with the first mate Jim, decides to secretly leave the ship and leave the helpless passengers to their fate. The pilgrims were saved. The crew is awaiting trial. Jim, deprived of his license, was forced to move to a remote village on one of the Indonesian islands.

The story “Heart of Darkness,” written under the influence of an 8-year stay in Africa, talks about the confrontation between nature and civilization. The script for the film “Apocalypse Now” by Francis Ford Coppola was written based on the work.

In The Negro of the Narcissus, Lord Jim Joseph Conrad tells the story of a merchant ship returning to Britain. Negro James Waite, in order to avoid doing routine work, pretended to be sick and believed in his own illness so much that upon arriving home he actually became ill and left the real world.

The last years of the author's life

Joseph Conrad, whose books aroused genuine interest among wide range readers, became a popular writer in Europe, settled in London, leaving the sea due to poor health, and started a family. His wife was Jessie George. The couple had sons Boris and John.

In 1914, at the invitation of Jusuf Retinger, a Polish writer, Conrad visited Poland, from where he had difficulty escaping after the outbreak of the First World War. In 1921, while preparing to write a novel about Napoleon, “Waiting,” he visited Corsica, and in 1923, to the USA.

Characteristics of Joseph Conrad

Conrad was described by his contemporaries as a man with the excellent manners of a Polish nobleman, who in moments of calm was like a philosopher with an eagle profile. Being in a state of enthusiasm or irritation, he changed in appearance, became like a tiger, but very quickly calmed down and plunged into himself.

Raised as a nobleman, Joseph Conrad, after spending about 20 years in the navy, always remained a stranger among sailors. Therefore, the main theme of his works was the problem of loneliness, awareness of futility human existence, madness and obsession. The author contrasted them with indifference to difficulties, iron fortitude and pride. In his work, Conrad devoted an important place to the ordinariness of heroism, which is part of everyday life for the heroes of his works.

Joseph Conrad died of a heart attack on August 3, 1924. He, at the zenith of his fame, failed to complete the novel “Waiting” about Napoleon’s flight from Elba. The heroes of Conrad's works, as well as the English classic himself, are a shining example of how one must approach life's circumstances in order to emerge victorious from them, while saving face and remaining honest with oneself.