At the dawn of the twentieth century, Marlow, the character-narrator in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, asserts that life sensation constitutes the “truth” as well as the “subtle and penetrating essence” of lived experiences, an assertion that both looks backward to problematize the Cartesian cogito, and looks forward to engage with contemporary renewed interest in affect. By shifting the focus from Marlow’s linear narrative to his narrative interruptions, this paper reconsiders the text to explore the ways in which affect interacts with Marlow’s storytelling. More specifically, by closely reading affectively-charged moments and scenes, I discuss how Marlow’s three major narrative gaps work to convey affective experiences against the wider horizons of qualia experience, colonialism, and intersubjective affect. I also explore the dynamic interaction between Marlow’s narrative crisis and his linear storytelling. As such, I argue that affect, though incommunicable to others through ordered storytelling, seeks its expression in narrative disruptions; it, above all, structures Marlow’s narrative rhythm. This way, an interrogation of affect offers an alternative to understanding Marlow’s silence and achronological digressions: the disrupted narrative sequence is no opposite to chronologically-ordered narration, but rather, a continuation of the latter. Ultimately, this paper highlights the complexity of affect and its expression, a central concern that is still going on in current critical explorations.

中文翻译：

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黑暗之心的情感与叙事节奏

二十世纪初，约瑟夫·康拉德的《黑暗之心》中的人物叙述者马洛断言，生活感觉构成了生活体验的“真相”和“微妙而透彻的本质”，这一断言都是向后看的。将笛卡尔的我思问题化，并期待与当代对情感的新兴趣互动。通过将焦点从马洛的线性叙事转移到他的叙事中断，本文重新考虑文本以探索情感与马洛讲故事的互动方式。更具体地说，通过仔细阅读充满情感的时刻和场景，我讨论了马洛的三个主要叙事差距如何在更广泛的品质体验、殖民主义和主体间情感的视野下传达情感体验。我还探讨了马洛的叙事危机和他的线性叙事之间的动态互动。因此，我认为情感虽然无法通过有序的讲故事与他人交流，但会在叙事中断中寻求表达；最重要的是，它构建了马洛的叙事节奏。通过这种方式，对情感的审问为理解马洛的沉默和时间顺序的离题提供了另一种选择：被打乱的叙述顺序与按时间顺序排列的叙述并不对立，而是后者的延续。最终，本文强调了情感及其表达的复杂性，这是当前批判性探索中仍在进行的核心问题。在叙事中断中寻求表达；最重要的是，它构建了马洛的叙事节奏。通过这种方式，对情感的审问为理解马洛的沉默和时间顺序的离题提供了另一种选择：被打乱的叙述顺序与按时间顺序排列的叙述并不对立，而是后者的延续。最终，本文强调了情感及其表达的复杂性，这是当前批判性探索中仍在进行的核心问题。在叙事中断中寻求表达；最重要的是，它构建了马洛的叙事节奏。通过这种方式，对情感的审问为理解马洛的沉默和时间顺序的离题提供了另一种选择：被打乱的叙述顺序与按时间顺序排列的叙述并不对立，而是后者的延续。最终，本文强调了情感及其表达的复杂性，这是当前批判性探索中仍在进行的核心问题。