The Discerning Narrator: Conrad, Aristotle, and Modernity

The Discerning Narrator sheds new light on Joseph Conrads critique of modernity and modernization by reading his work through an Aristotelian lens, offering original philosophical analyses of major and understudied works. It affirms literature's invitation to wonder about the possibilities inherent in human nature, including the potential for painful depravity, heroic excellence, and ordinary human happiness.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 18 November 2022
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

The Discerning Narrator sheds new light on Joseph Conrads controversial critique of modernity and modernization by reading his work through an Aristotelian lens. The book proposes that we need Aristotle – a key figure in Conrads education – to recognize the profound significance of Conrads artistic vision. Offering Aristotelian analyses of Conrads letters, essays, and four works of fiction, Alexia Hannis illuminates the philosophical roots and literary implications of Conrads critique of modernity. Hannis turns to Aristotles ethical formulations to trace what she calls the discerning narrator in Conrads oeuvre: a compassionate yet sceptical guide to appraising character and conduct. The book engages with past and current Conrad scholarship while drawing from Aristotles Poetics, Politics, and Nicomachean Ethics, as well as classical scholars to offer original philosophical analyses of major and understudied Conrads works. Drawing on Aristotle, Hannis provides a fresh context for making sense of Conrads self-differentiation from modernity. As a result, The Discerning Narrator provides an affirmation of literatures invitation to wonder about the possibilities inherent in human nature, including the potential for painful depravity, heroic excellence, and ordinary human happiness.

Weight: 418g
Dimension: 159 x 238 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781442649071