Metatnarrative in Conrads Heart of Darkness - 1324 Words

C. Patrick Ormos Prof. William Napier LIT-500-Q1098 Gr Studies in Literary Theory 14TW1 3 October 2014 Compose a short two- to three-page paper in which you illustrate how one of the literary theories discussed in Modules Two through Five applies to either James’ The Turn of the Screw or Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. As this is a short paper, be sure to narrow the theoretical focus of your application. For example, if you use narratology, you might choose to apply Chatman’s concepts of how narrative â€Å"records thought and feeling† or Bahktin’s ideas of â€Å"heteroglossia† but not both; if you work on postmodernism, you might focus on Lyotard’s theory of â€Å"metanarratives† or Baudrillard’s theory of â€Å"the simulacrum† but not both. The main†¦show more content†¦Often, this entailed physical rape, as we often see with conquering armies, but it also entailed economic rape, the forcible acquisition of the raw materials of wealth, with an unstated sense that the conquering army has the â€Å"right† to this reward. And in the second part, beginning with â€Å"What redeems it,† we see Lyotard’s concept of a metanarrative and its power to organize meaning. Marlow, a long-time blue-water sailor, tells the tale of his short time as a fresh-water sailor in Africa. (I’m going to guess that he was speaking of the Congo Rivers, referring to West Africa and its forests and elephant herds, and that the Company was probably Belgian.) After being hired by the Company and going through a visit with the doctor, he returns to his Aunt to take tea. She is quoted as saying, â€Å"weaning those ignorant millions from their horrid ways.† (Conrad 65) Again, another allusion to the metanarrative. As Marlow lands in the Congo and begins his trip overland, we listen to him describe the Africans he sees, â€Å"I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar†¦and all were connected together with a chain†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Conrad 27-8) He describes another group of workers as a group of people who had â€Å"withdrawn to die.† He meets a white man, the bookkeeper, and hears the lament for how a sick African is interrupting his concentration. Slowly, Marlow builds up a picture of Africans being oppressed and killed in a variety