Looking at Imagination in Modernism (Lord Jim e.g.s)

(page no.s are from old versh!)

· Read this (: :http://www.collegenews.org/x3052.xml

Citing Clark (2004) [assumes Flaubert and Manet are “fathers of modernism”]
1) “Modernism…movements between text and image.
2)”a novel understanding of the cultural imagination of early modernism”
3)”He shows [deliberate intent to] mix and contaminate their work: Flaubert with images, Manet with narration.”

The notion of this ‘contamination’ ; movement between text and image is something we see very often in modernist texts. The predominancy of nature; Forster’s Marabar caves, Conrad’s Congo wilderness and even in Lord Jim all accord a blurring between “text” and “image”. Taking this one step further it is then possible to see that this cultural imagination of early modernism comes from the focus on setting,landscape; natural features that are foreign to the colonizers, that there is the creation of culture through imagination exacting the senses. This focus on senses, emotions and responses to new situations suggest a focus on the inner self, the individual perception and feeling; the persona imagines what his surrounding is like and paints a picture that then affects our imagination.

“The danger, when not seen, had the imperfect vagueness or human though. The fear grows shadowy; and Imagination, the enemy of men, the father of all terrors, unstimulated, sinks to rest in the dullness of exhausted emotion” (CH2 p9)
-Here imagination becomes a force of power that allows for invocation of fear and negativity that is some what depressive; due to defamiliarization of location?

“At times his thoughts would be full of various deeds: he loved these dreams and the success of his imaginary achievements. They were the best parts of life, its secret truth, its hidden reality” (CH3 p15)
-Imagination is used to escape and a way to pursue happiness not found in the real (colonizing, unfamiliar world)