To Be Conrad: On Polyglossia and Exile

Описание: What happens to identity when language itself becomes foreign?

Joseph Conrad wrote some of the most enduring works of modern literature in a language he learned as an adult. Writing in English—his third language—Conrad transformed exile, displacement, and linguistic estrangement into a literary method. His novels do not merely describe alienation; they enact it.

In this video, we explore how Conrad’s life between languages shaped his vision of consciousness, morality, and narrative form. From Heart of Darkness to Lord Jim, Conrad’s prose reflects a fractured self—one constructed through distance, delay, and translation. Language, for Conrad, is never transparent; it is a medium haunted by loss, misunderstanding, and silence.

This essay examines:
– Linguistic exile and second-language writing
– Identity as a constructed and unstable process
– Modernism, narration, and fractured perception
– Why Conrad still matters in a globalized, multilingual world

Rather than treating Conrad as a colonial relic or a purely canonical figure, this video situates him at the crossroads of language, psychology, and modern identity.

🎼 Original music composed by ext-pop
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🧠 About Through the Looking-Glass

Through the Looking-Glass is a video essay series exploring literature, philosophy, music, and culture—focusing on how meaning, identity, and perception are constructed.

If you enjoy long-form essays on writers like Dostoyevsky, Faulkner, Lispector, or Conrad, consider subscribing.


Joseph Conrad
Samuel Beckett
Ágota Kristóf
Emil Cioran
Chantal Akerman
Michael Haneke
Literary Analysis
Heart of Darkness
Apocalypse Now
Modernism
Language
Linguistics
Literature
Video Essay
Identity
Exile
Art
English Literature
ESL
Consciousness
Fiction
Prose


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#language
#modernism
#videoessay
#literaryanalysis
#languageandidentity
#exile
#philosophy
#writing