Matuško, Iva.
(2018).
Joseph Conrad and the ethos of the Warsaw Uprising (1944).
Diploma Thesis. Filozofski fakultet u Zagrebu, Department of West Slavic Languages and Literature.
[mentor Blažina, Dalibor].
Abstract
Joseph Conrad is an English writer of Polish origin who was present in Polish culture since the beginning of his literary career. He reached the peak of his popularity in Poland during World War II when his literature was read by young soldiers who took part in the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. This paper studies the influence of Joseph Conrad on the ethos of the Warsaw Uprising and analyzes the reasons behind his popularity which include the link to Polish tradition, culture and literature that he shared with the conspirators, but also the modernism of his works which gave the young people the means to escape the fixed notions of duty and patriotism. The paper analyses the motifs and the story of the most popular Conrad's novel at the time, Lord Jim, and compares it to the experiences of the soldiers. The final part of the paper explains the conflict among literary critics which emerged in 1945/1946. Conrad's popularity during World War II was used as a platform to discuss the ideology of the Warsaw Uprising because the censorship of the new Communist party prevented these kinds of ideas to be openly discussed. This conflict, as well as the status Conrad had during the Uprising, is a testament to the strong presence he had in Polish culture which remains relatively unknown to both international and Polish readers of Conrad’s works.
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