University of Montana

ScholarWorks at University of Montana Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers

Graduate School

1931

Irony, the integrant in the art and philosophy of Thomas Hardy and Joseph Conrad Richard Gordon Lillard The University of Montana

Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Recommended Citation Lillard, Richard Gordon, "Irony, the integrant in the art and philosophy of Thomas Hardy and Joseph Conrad" (1931). Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers. Paper 2765.

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Preface All great literature has used Irooy at least oeeaslonally. Irony Is eaaentlal to the draaatlst and satirist» useful to the novelist and story-teller, and corwenient eren to the lyric poet. If he Mve a tinge of elear-eyed melancholy. Modem writers find irraiy as necessary for plot Qonstructlm and for eosxreyance of criticlam as did Mwlmat «Tit­ ers. %e «rltlngs of some authors, such as Anatole F^mce, James B. Cabell, sxià Edith Wharton, are li#reg%mted vith all types of iMmy. Ammg w^em «Titers, ^Mmaa Bardy and Jweph Ccmrad are iwtable for seeing lr«qr basic In life, for building vp philosophies in «hleh irtmy Is the integral ccaapoment, wid for «rlting fiction «hleh artistically lllnstrates #ese philosophies. Their InWltlons are similar, but their actual data from o&servatltm, their oe^tods, and their life phi­ losophies differ—but nat to such a degree that a cm^ariscm «111 not throw amih fresh light on each «rlter. Critics have discussed the plot, setting, charaeterizati(m, autobiographical elawnt, poetic feeling, style, psychology, phllmqphy ... in Eardy and Ccmrad, aM have made (mly cursory Mferences to their Irozqr, thus overlooking the most im­ portant aspect of the style md thou^t in their work. It is my thesis that Irtmy is tW key to an understanding of all that tWy wrote. In asserting that irtmy is integral in the art and philosophy of Bardy and Conrad I mean that it is a necessary part of a lAole, necessary for completenesa. In Chapters I asà III, on the irony in the novels, respectively, of Hardy and Conrad, I illustrate the ironies by brief extracts and

somarize them la gyacp#** of the plots of the la#ortaat novel#, XesrIng t&t later tâxe^%«ea the synthesis of my otmolmslons about

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aM the effects of the irony. 1 treat Bardy^s irony as developing ^troagh his first six novels, and, therefore, make two parts of the chapter on I&rdy*s novels. I find no notable develo^ent in Conrad*s novels and treat thw in ost of Progress" is ironical to the very title. Kayerts and earlier» two ineo^etents, are plaeed hy their eoœpany at am oh8eui« trading-post on am African river. They do not aMerstand their enviroimmit, eaeh other, or the savages aimmd them, earlier says, "We shall let life ran easily hei^l Just sit still «md gather In tW ivory those savages will hrisg. This em&try has its good points, after alll* %ey both l«i#ed Iwdly while earlier thlnhe: "That powr Kayerts; he is so fat and mihealthy. It would be awfnl If I had to bury him here. E» is a man I MS#[email protected] they reached the verxmdah of their house they called ooe ano#er dear fellow." %ey gradually change. C

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