feb 24, 1904 - Nostromo by Joseph Conrad

Description:

Although Conrad has many other works that are far more popular than Nostromo, this novel highlights the modernist view and era. The complexity of the novel is aligned with the plot which makes it a tough read. The Modernist era, especially in regards to literature, is fragmented, difficult to read, and it pertains to the psyche of a character. The era focuses more on realism by capturing real people accomplishing everyday things. Nostromo defines its modernistic views through the plot of the storyline, setting, climax, and intent of the characters. Similar to A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Conrad structures the novel around flashbacks. This text is important yet also still relevant because the complexity of this novel is a leading result as to why it was unpopular. The modernist era had no real structure; the art (literature, paintings, and music) were experimented with during this time to idealize the faster pace and reality of it all. The psyche’s stream of consciousness jumps around and does not have a steady stream, so the people during this era wanted to mimic this flow. As a part of the modernist era, Conrad implemented the ideal of following the stream of consciousness as a creative avenue when writing. The relevance of this novel portrays what the modernist era focused on and how it was conveyed.

-Raven H.

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