Joseph Conrad Research Paper

Anita Brookner describes existentialism as “being a saint without God; being your own hero, without all the sanction and support of religion or society.” The viewpoint of an existentialist was a common way of thinking during the Modernist Period of literature. One particular writer who held this modernism viewpoint was Joseph Conrad. This multicultural artist advanced his existentialism through his literary works. In such works, Conrad took on a whole new writing prose, one which upon first glance is seemingly awkward, but upon examination is found to have been masterfully knitted together. It was his progressive approach towards social norms and challenges which had been simply accepted as fact that had set him apart as a writer. For, Joseph Conrad would not accept what others said; rather, he examined situations himself and articulated his findings throughout his literature. In Joseph Conrad’s writings, including, Under Western Eyes, The

His father, Apollo Korzeniowski, was sentenced to jail in Warsaw by Russian police after joining a failed rebellion attempt in 1861. As a result, Conrad’s family was exiled to Northern Russia four years later where both of his parents died of illness, giving him the unwanted title of an orphan by age twelve (Center for Learning 1). When Conrad grew older his uncle, Tadeusz Bobrowski, convinced him to seek a life abroad and become a sailor. Now twenty, Conrad joined his first ship, Skimmer of the Sea, a British vessel. In order to become an Ordinary Master of British Merchant Marine, Conrad was required to pass an English portion of the exam. As a result, by the age of twenty nine, Conrad was able to read and write in English. During his time as a sailor, Conrad traveled to many different countries and learned about multiple different cultures. This provided him with insight on how societies and how the people within them operate (Center for Learning