Conrad and Naipaul: The Supremacy of the Visible?

The reception of Conrad's works turns on a critical quandary: are his commitments primarily sensory, celebratory and imperialist, or conceptual, subdued and self-critical? This course will examine Conrad's works in detail, and the critical and literary responses to them: most notably, the work of his most direct successor, the British-Caribbean novelist V. S. Naipaul. Other readings include Said, Achebe, Jameson, Badiou, Rancière, Deleuze. Enrollment limited. Not open to first-year students. Banner registrations after classes begin require instructor approval.