Sternness as a Source of Levity in Joseph Conrad, James M. Barrie, and Charles Dickens

Anne Keithline

Sternness as a Source of Levity in Joseph Conrad, James M. Barrie, and Charles Dickens

Publication date: 17.05.2018

Yearbook of Conrad Studies, 2017, Vol. 12, pp. 173-182

https://doi.org/10.4467/20843941YC.17.013.8670

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Sternness as a Source of Levity in Joseph Conrad, James M. Barrie, and Charles Dickens

Abstract

It is a small but important feature of Conrad’s work that “sternness” as a character trait is almost never used to build the atmosphere that its definition of strictness and severity suggests. Instead, acting sternly tends to undercut the authority and sense of personal awareness of characters who attempt it, often contributing to moments of levity or outright comic relief. Conrad was not alone in this use of sternness but, like his contemporary Barrie, he absorbed it from Victorian writers, including Dickens, whose work he read and admired. This paper traces the uses of sternness through Conrad’s canon, showing how its manifestations help to create Conrad’s singular sense of humor. Special attention is paid to the use of the word “sternly” in the last line of “The Tale,” where its interpretation is critical to readerly projections of the story’s future action. Selections from Dickens and Barrie are also discussed in order to contextualize and illuminate Conrad’s own uses of sternness.

Keywords

Joseph Conrad, Charles Dickens, James M. Barrie, “The Tale”, sternness, characterization, irony, humor

References

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Barrie, J. M., The Little White Bird, or Adventures in Kensington Garden [1902], Project Gutenberg, 2008, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1376/1376-h/1376-h.htm.

Conrad, J., “A Smile of Fortune” [1910] [in:] idem, ’Twixt Land and Sea, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1925.

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Conrad, J., Chance [1913], Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page and Company, 1924.

Conrad, J., “Opowieści”, transl. H. Carroll-Najder [in:] idem, Dzieła, vol. XXIV, ed. Z. Najder, Warszawa: PIW, 1974.

Conrad, J., “Opowieści”, transl. S. Wyrzykowski [in:] idem, Opowieści zasłyszane, Warszawa: Instytut Wydawniczy “Biblioteka Polska”, 1938.

Conrad, J., The Mirror of the Sea [1906], Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company, 1924.

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Dickens, Ch., Oliver Twist [1839], London: Penguin Books Ltd., 1985.

Dickens, Ch., The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby [1839], Project Gutenberg, 2006, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/967/967-h/967-h.htm.

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Information

Information: Yearbook of Conrad Studies, 2017, Vol. 12, pp. 173-182

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4467/20843941YC.17.013.8670

Article type: Original article

Authors

Anne Keithline

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA

Published at: 17.05.2018

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Percentage share of authors:

Anne Keithline (Author) - 100%

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English

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Number of downloads: 889

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