By: Olivia Edler, Blake Neal, Alexa Shadle, and Olivia StrobleClass: Period #6Teacher: Mrs. Menzen

Joseph Conrad

(Joseph Conrad).

He was born on December 3, 1857 He is from Berdichev, Ukraine His parents were Polish nobles They were Polish Patriots and were fighting against the oppressive leadership of Russia.

Because of this, they were sent to live in the Russian Province of Vologda (Joseph Conrad).

Early Life

(Family Background and Early Years)

Several years later his parents died

His Uncle took Joseph to live with him in Poland

He first received education from his father and then went to school in Krakow.

He also furthered his education with private schooling (Joseph Conrad)

Early Life

At age 16, Conrad left his home in Poland to travel to France and begin his Career as a Mariner.

He sailed on a few French Commercial ships as an apprentice and then was promoted to Steward

It is questioned that he may have been involved in international gun-smuggling

He had a brief period of debt and he attempted suicide (Joseph Conrad).

Seafaring Years

He became a British citizen He joined the British Merchant Marine and was employed for 16 years

He sailed to India, Singapore, Africa, and Australia-these places gave him ideas for his fictional works.

In 1896 he married Jessie Emmeline George (Joseph Conrad)

Seafaring Years

His early travels greatly contributed to the inspiration of his stories

His wife’s father was a bookseller He was friends with prominent authors

like John Galsworthy, Ford Madox Ford, and and H.G. Wells

In 1895 he published his first novel “Almayer’s Folly (Joseph Conrad)

(Alternate Gothic)

His Inspiration

A few of his most famous works were:

Lord Jim-1900Heart of Darkness-1902 Nostromo-1904The Secret Agent-1907 The Secret Sharer-1912 (Heart of Darkness)

(Joseph Conrad)

Conrad’s Works

far-away settings conflict is human vs. nature individualism surfaces the inner darkness of human nature

themes of racial prejudice Most of his books followed the ideas of the literary movement of that time period, aka Modernism (Heart of Darkness)

Elements of His Writing

The story is set in Africa and contains some of Conrad’s own experiences as Captain of a steamer.

The story follows a man named Marlow and he an ivory trader sent to search through Africa for a man named Kurtz.

It was arguable that this man Kurtz had gone mad and the local Africans had begun to treat him as a god.

The purpose of the story is to test the power of good and evil and the difference between sanity and insanity (Heart of Darkness).

Heart of Darkness

The Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe spoke out against the novella

He claimed that it showed racism towards Africans and portrayed them as barbaric

He said that Conrad’s language was “beautiful and seductive” but it was wrong

(Heart of Darkness)

(Chinua Achebe, 82)

Controversy Over Novella

He began publishing autobiographies such as his novel The Arrow of Gold

His last novel was The Rover in 1923 He died of a heart attack on August 3,

1924 at his home in England His works inspired other authors of the

20th century such as T.S. Elliot, and Virginia Woolf

His books have been translated into different languages and are often used in high school and University curriculums (Joseph Conrad).

Later Years

Works Cited Alternate Gothic. 2015. 10 April 2015. Chinua Achebe, 82. 2015. 10 April 2015.

<http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/28/literary-giants-died-2013>.

Family Backround and Early Years. n.d. 10 April 2015. <http://conrad-centre.w.interia.pl/pages/conrad_life_en.htm>.

Heart of Darkness. 2015. 10 April 2015. <http://www.shmoop.com/heart-of-darkness/>.

Joseph Conrad. 2015. 10 April 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/joseph-conrad-9255343#later-life>.

Joseph Conrad. 25 December 2014. 10 April 2015. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/133148/Joseph-Conrad>.

Joseph Conrad. n.d. 10 April 2015. <http://www.modernlib.com/authors/cAuthors/conradJackets.html#anchor>.