This book explores how the anarchist fiction of Joseph Conrad can help us understand terrorism today. Conrad undermines the popular view that terrorists are fanatics. He portrays anarchists and police as counterparts driven by the human desires for autonomy and affiliation, the need to control their own lives and to be part of a group. Postcritique encourages readers to consider the accuracy of such information, and research in Terrorism Studies confirms Conrad's insights: his characters are more realistic and his political stance is more hopeful than critics have recognized.
This book explores how the anarchist fiction of Joseph Conrad can help us understand terrorism today. Conrad undermines the popular view that terrorists are fanatics. He portrays anarchists and police as counterparts driven by the human desires for autonomy and affiliation, the need to control their own lives and to be part of a group. Postcritique encourages readers to consider the accuracy of such information, and research in Terrorism Studies confirms Conrad's insights: his characters are more realistic and his political stance is more hopeful than critics have recognized.
Joyce Wexler is Professor Emerita of English at Loyola University Chicago, USA. She is President of the Joseph Conrad Society of America. Her publications include Joseph Conrad and Postcritique (co-edited with Jay Parker), Violence Without God, Who Paid for Modernism, and Laura Riding's Pursuit of Truth.
Inhaltsangabe
1. Introduction: Terrorist Fiction, Terrorism Studies, and Postcritique.- 2. Conrad's Anarchist Tales.- 3. The Secret Agent: Terrorists and Counterterrorists.- 4. Under Western Eyes: Revolutionists and Informers.- 5. Conclusion: Reading Conrad Now.