The main objective of this book is to shed lights on the didactic interaction which happens between the reader and the text. This instructive aim of literature can be positive or negative. I focus mainly on the negative effect of reading literature which entices its reader to a specific way of behavior. We must follow the next chapters to see exactly how reading literature shapes our identity.
From the text:
- Definition of Literature;
- Reader Response Theory;
- Negative effect of Reading Literature on Lord Jim;
Table of Contents
Literature: Definition and Refutation
Background
Chapter Two: Reader-Response Theory
Historical Development
Concretization and Affective Stylistic: Iser and Fish Two Critical Notions
Reader-Response Philosophical Debates: Reader and the Text
Chapter Three: Negative Effect of Reading Literature on Lord Jim
The oppositions on Literature
Lord Jim and the Influence of Reading Literature on Him
A Chance Missed: Jim’s Aesthetic and Efferent reading of literature
Jim’s Pipedreams: “The Psychological Effect of Reading Literature”
Jim’s Bafflement in Patna Incident: Norman Holland’s Three Models of Reading
Patusan: An Ephemeral Collision between Fiction and Reality
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this work is to explore the didactic and formative influence of literature on the reader's identity, with a specific focus on the potential negative effects. The study investigates the research question of how literature can entice readers to adopt unrealistic or dangerous idealized behaviors by examining the protagonist Jim in Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim" through the lens of Reader-Response theory.
- Analysis of the relationship between literature and the formation of reader identity.
- Application of Reader-Response theory (Iser, Fish, Rosenblatt, Holland) to "Lord Jim".
- Critique of the "instructive" or "educational" function of literature as portrayed in nineteenth-century novels.
- Investigation of the conflict between romantic fictional ideals and real-world pragmatic survival.
Excerpt from the Book
A Chance Missed: Jim’s Aesthetic and Efferent reading of literature
Joseph Conrad in Lord Jim tries to illustrate that literature forges Jim’s identity by tempting him to absorb its heroic codes and apply them in his real life. The beginning of the novel hinges on specific incident: The ‘light literature’ and its effect upon Jim. Jim’s desire for seafaring is originated from ‘a course of light holiday literature.’ At first, literature seems to be positive.
He was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed from under stare which made you think of a charging bull. His voice was deep, loud, and his manner displayed a kind of dogged self-assertion which had nothing aggressive in it. It seemed a necessity, and it was directed apparently as much at himself as at anybody else. He was spotlessly neat, apparelled in immaculate white from shoes to hat, and in the various Eastern ports where he got his living as ship-chandler’s water-clerk he was very popular.
The novel starts with a description of a hero. His Physical description impresses the readers. These characteristics that this hero possesses remind us of the protagonists of literary stories. Jim with “dogged self-assertion” and with “his head forward” to the unknown destination tries to embody the fiction he read and change it to reality. He has the “ability in the abstract”. The reader of the novel might ask that for a hero the abstract ability is not enough. He must be realistic and concrete. Although Jim is very popular and he is called “Tuan Jim” or “Lord Jim” among Malays but he always tries to be eponymous. The mystery of Jim’s ‘incognito’ and sudden departures retreating ‘in good order towards the rising sun’ alerts us to the point that this foreshortened hero may have something to hide.
Summary of Chapters
Literature: Definition and Refutation: Provides a background on the difficulty of defining literature and historical arguments regarding its potential negative effects on individuals.
Background: Examines critical perspectives on Joseph Conrad's "Lord Jim," highlighting previous thematic interpretations and establishing the author's focus on the role of literature in identity formation.
Chapter Two: Reader-Response Theory: Outlines the theoretical framework, detailing the development of Reader-Response criticism and the roles of key theorists like Iser, Fish, and Rosenblatt in understanding the reader-text interaction.
Chapter Three: Negative Effect of Reading Literature on Lord Jim: Applies the theoretical framework to "Lord Jim," exploring how Jim’s immersion in romantic literature creates a cognitive dissonance that leads to his eventual tragic downfall.
Keywords
Reader-Response Theory, Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim, Identity Formation, Literature, Romanticism, Aesthetic Reading, Efferent Reading, Didacticism, Fiction and Reality, Pipedreams, Mimetic Behavior, Norman Holland, Wolfgang Iser, Louise Rosenblatt.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work focuses on the negative, formative influence of literature on the reader’s identity, specifically examining how fictional ideals can shape human behavior in potentially destructive ways.
Which theoretical approach is used?
The primary approach is Reader-Response theory, utilizing the concepts of theorists such as Louise Rosenblatt, Norman Holland, Wolfgang Iser, and Stanley Fish.
What is the central research question?
The research explores whether literature, often viewed as instructive or positive, can instead mislead readers by fostering dangerous, unrealistic ideals that conflict with real-world reality.
What role does the character Jim play in this study?
Jim serves as the primary case study to demonstrate how an individual’s obsession with the heroic codes found in "light holiday literature" results in a disconnect from reality and an inability to handle actual crises.
What does the "Patna incident" represent in the analysis?
It represents the moment where Jim’s internal fictional construct of himself as a hero is confronted by a real-world emergency, leading to a catastrophic failure to act according to his self-imposed chivalric code.
How is the "educational role" of literature critiqued?
The author argues that literature intended to teach "codes of conduct" (as seen in the late Victorian era) can actually encourage self-deception and hinder pragmatic adaptation to one’s surroundings.
How does Norman Holland’s "three models of reading" apply to Jim?
The analysis uses these models to explain how Jim shifts between text-active and transactive modes of engagement, attempting to use literature as a "feedback loop" to construct his own identity.
What is the significance of the "Patusan" setting?
Patusan serves as a remote, romanticized "clean slate" where Jim attempts to fully realize his fictional hero identity, ultimately confirming his regressive path and inevitable tragic end.
- Quote paper
- Kheirallah Helichi (Author), 2016, The Enmity of Joseph Conrad to Literature, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/345609
