Literary Movements

Paper Summary:

This paper compares and contrasts the differences and the similarities of three stories under the light of different critical literary movements: "An Outpost of Progress" by Joseph Conrad, "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau and "The Dead" by James Joyce. The literary movements examined are realism, naturalism, romanticism, modernism and transcendentalism. More specifically, the paper looks at how James Joyce and Joseph Conrad are realists, modernists and naturalists because their stories have fidelity to the truth, they depict modern issues and both believe that nature has effects on people's behaviors. The paper also shows how, on the other hand, Henry David Thoreau is not a realist but a romantic because he believes in individualism and is also a transcendentalist who believes in the openness of the human mind.

From the Paper:

"Conrad is strictly bound to reality. He criticizes the idea of imperialism and the western people's idea of bringing civilization to other parts of the world when the west itself needs to be civilized. The term Realism is also used to describe works of art which, in revealing a truth, may emphasize the ugly or sordid. The slavery, exchanging human beings with material things, murdering, and hatred are all seen in "An Outpost of Progress" These are the facts of Conrad's day and he indicates these in his narrating brilliantly. The following quotation is about the exchange of black men for some ivory and it clearly shows that Conrad is a sincere critique of his time towards the institutions and beliefs such as the white men's superiority to the black men."

Sample of Sources Used:

• http://en.wikisource.org
• NOYES, Russell. English Romantic Poetry and Prose. New York: Oxford University Press. 1967.

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