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《The failure of dreamsThe comparative study of The Great Gatsby and Heart of Darkness 英语毕业论文》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、Thefailureofdreams—ThecomparativestudyofTheGreatGatsbyandHeartofDarkness1.IntroductionJosephConradwasbornTozefTeodorKonradKorzeniowskionDecember3,1857,inthePolishUkraine.HestudiedEnglishwhenhewastwenty-oneyearsold.In1889,hebeganhisfirstnovel,Almayer’sFolly,andbeganactive
2、lysearchingforawaytofulfillhisboyhooddreamoftravelingtotheCongoin1890,andhisexperiencesintheCongocametoprovidetheoutlineforHeartofDarkness.HewasillwhenhewasinAfrica,thenhereturnedtoEnglandtorecover.HereturnedtoseatwicebeforefinishingAlmayer’sFollyin1894andwroteseveraloth
3、erbooks,includingoneaboutMarlowcalledYouth:ANarrativebeforebeginningHeartofDarknessin1898.Conrad’sworks,HeartofDarknessinparticular,providesabridgebetweenVictorianvaluesandtheidealsofmodernism.Thesenovelsrelyontraditionalideasofheroism,whichareunderconstantattackinachang
4、ingworldandinplacesfarfromEngland.HeartofDarknesssuggeststhatthisisthenaturalresultwhenmenareallowedtooperateoutsideasocialsystemofchecksandbalances:power,especiallypoweroverotherhumanbeings,inevitablycorrupts.HeartofDarknessisanarrativeaboutthedifficultyofunderstandingt
5、heworldbeyondtheself,abouttheabilityofonemantojudgeanother.Thisnovelreinforcesthenovella’scentralthemesofhypocrisy,absurdityandunrealistic.AlthoughConradandFitzgeraldlivedindifferentage,Fitzgerald’novel,TheGreatGatsbyalsoreflectedthesametheme.FitzgeraldwasborninSt.Paul,M
6、innesota.Hisfamilywasconsideredsociallyprominentandpoor.InWorldWarI,hefellhopelesslyinlovewithZelda,abeautifulandrichgirl.In1919,Fitzgeraldwasdeterminedtowinsuccess,fame,andZelda.Hetookajobwithanadvertisingagencyandworkedonshortstories.Eventuallyhisfirstnovel,ThisSideofP
7、aradise,wasacceptedforpublication.In1922hepublisheshissecondnovel,TheBeautifulandDamned,andacollectionofshortstories,TalesoftheJazzAge.In1925Fitzgerald17managedtocompleteTheGreatGatsby.Itwasacriticalsuccessbutacommercialdisappointment;itsoldonlyabouthalfasmanycopiesaseit
8、herofhisfirsttwonovels,anditearnedlittlemorethanenoughtorepayhisdebtstohispublishers.In1934TenderIstheN
