英语写作的背后:康拉德的文化焦虑与痛苦

The Cultural Anxiety and Agony Behind Conrad's Writing in English

康拉德为何用英语写作,而不用他熟悉的波兰语或法语?他在创作之初为何选择他并不十分熟悉的马来题材来写小说?康拉德的马来题材小说尽管有猎奇倾向,但所表达的却是对人类处境的深刻思考。马来素材与英语写作的背后隐藏着康拉德的文化焦虑和痛苦:一方面英语是他艰难谋生的手段,英语背后的道德和文化底蕴深深地吸引着他;另一方面,他用英语写作又令他因远离故国而深感内疚。其实,康拉德用英语写出的是一颗波兰之心。

This paper attempts to decode two closely-related puzzles concerning Conrad's writing,that is,why did Conrad write in English instead of in French or Polish which he was much more familiar with?And why did Conrad choose the Malay materials,which he was in fact not very well informed of, as the thematic concerns of his first novel?The paper believes that Conrad's initial interest for the Malay themes,although with some tendency to add exotic novelty to his writing,manifests more importantly his deep reflections upon the human condition in general.By choosing the Malay materials and writing in English language,Conrad plunges himself into certain paradoxical cultural anxiety and agony:on the one hand he had to write in English as a way to make a living,and he was indeed greatly fascinated by the moral and cultural background of English language;on the other hand,writing in English deepens his guiltiness for deserting his motherland.For Conrad,writing in English reveals a Polish heart.