International Journal of Language & Literature

Conrad’s Misrepresentation and Ambivalence in “An Outpost of Progress”
Mohammad Abdullah Al Matarneh

Abstract
This study centers on Conrad’s colonial experience and conscious misrepresentation of a colonized native in “An Outpost of Progress” (1897), in a Belgian colony – established in a Dark Continent. As Conrad’s short fiction is written during the period of imperialism, the study examines the characters and events in relation to natives and the non-natives that are depicted in the text. Albeit to what degree Conrad creates spaces for the interaction of other voices in his text, marginalized voices are given chances to interact and challenge the dominant authorial voice and ideology. To achieve this, Said’s and Homi Bhabha’s concepts of postcolonial studies are used as a framework for this study. The study finds that Conrad’s text main participant is the White characters while the colonized natives play a secondary role; therefore, readers perceive the fictional world through the Eurocentric eyes.

Full Text: PDF      DOI: 10.15640/ijll.v6n2a26