HERVOUET, Yves, The French Face of Joseph Conrad, New York, Cambridge University Press, 2008, 368 p.
ISBN 9780521069298
RÉSUMÉ
Joseph Conrad has generally been regarded as a novelist with "dual"Polish and English national affinities. This study argues for a tripleidentity by introducing the French face of Conrad's work, demonstratingthat his knowledge of the French language and its literature hasprofound implications for the study of the novels. Yves Hervouetdocuments chronologically the influence of French authors includingFlaubert, Maupassant and Anatole France, building up a picture ofConrad at work. This first large-scale account of Conrad's involvementwith a French literary, aesthetic and philosophical tradition provokesan important reassessment of his creative originality. It should have amajor impact on Conrad scholarship, and as a study of cross-culturalinfluence, it will be of interest to all students of comparativeliterature in the period.
TABLE DES MATIÈRES
Foreword; Acknowledgements; Abbreviations; Introduction; Part I.Conrad's French Literary and Cultural Background: 1. A part of Conrad'slife; Part II. Conrad's Debt to French Authors: 2. The early fiction;3. The first phase of maturity; 4. The second phase of maturity; 5. Thethird phase of maturity and the last decade; 6. Critical writings; PartIII. Conrad's Philosophical and Aesthetic Inheritance: 7. Conrad andAnatole France; 8. Conrad and Gustave Flaubert; Part IV. Conclusion: 9.Conclusion appendix; Notes; Bibliography; Index.