Light in Darkness: Heroism in Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent

• 영문명: Light in Darkness: Heroism in Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent
• 발행기관: 한국영미어문학회
• 저자명: 김성렬(Sung Ryol Kim)
• 간행물 정보: 『영미어문학』제153호, 105~122쪽, 전체 18쪽
• 주제분류: 어문학 > 영어와문학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2024.06.30

국문 초록

This article examines the heroes/heroines to be found in Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent (1907), a subject that has been rarely discussed, with the exception of Stevie. The heroism of the characters is brought into relief by the use of the social psychologist Philip Zimbardo’s account of heroes. The three heroes discussed are Stevie, Winnie, and their mother. Winnie’s mother’s heroism is constituted by her sacrifice, which even the ironic narrator recognizes, emphasizes, and perhaps admires. Examining Winnie through a heroic filter restores a sense of dignity to a character who has mostly been ridiculed and considered, at best, pathetic. Viewing Stevie through a heroic lens, offered especially by Zimbardo, reaffirms and clarifies his heroic status. By their sacrifices, they illuminate the darkness of London, that “monstrous town,” if only temporarily, for they fail to circulate, in Zimbardo’s words, “the life force of goodness in our veins.”

키워드

영웅 영웅주의 비밀 요원 조셉 콘래드 필립 짐바르도 Heroes Heroism The Secret Agent Joseph Conrad Philip Zimbardo