The Life and Works of Joseph Conrad, focusing on his Eastern Seas

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370298
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Literature in English
• Research Institution: Tokyo Women's Medical University (2015-2018); Musashi University (2014)
• Principal Investigator: Shidara Yasuko 東京女子医科大学, 看護学部, 講師 (10311242)
• Research Collaborator: Inoue Mari ; Okuda Yoko ; Kawasaki Akiko
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 英文学 / イギリス小説 / 東南アジア史 / ポーランド史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study project aimed at re-reading the life and works of Polish-born British writer Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), correlating his three aspects, that is, his early life in peripheral Europe, experiences as a British merchant mariner travelling across the world, and his settled life in the imperial metropolis,focusing on his "Eastern seas," which refers to late 19th-century maritime Southeast Asia.
As the result of this research project, first, through bibliographical and archival surveys new source materials have been excavated. Next, by visiting the spots of his experiences, examples of interrelationship between the real-life experiences and the literary works have become identified. Last, by attending the conferences in and out of the country and organizing a symposium,as well as by compiling and publishing a comprehensive list of Japanese translations of Conrad's works,a network of researchers to advance this research topic, especiallly in Asia, has been reinforced.

Free Research Field

英文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究では、コンラッドの「東洋の海」に焦点をあて、現地調査（ゆかりの地を特定し探索）と文献調査（一次資料の所在を確認し、原本を閲覧）を組み合わせる方法を取った。その研究成果の第一は、現地での追体験および関連する一次資料は、19世紀後半イギリスの海の帝国が形成されていく様をつぶさに伝えるものであり、この方法が今後のコンラッド研究に有効である実例をいくつか示したことである。さらに、本研究へのアプローチとして、ヴィクトリア朝の「医療」という新しい切り口を提示することができた。また、網羅的なコンラッド作品邦訳リストを完成させ、今後の海外との研究者交流および基礎データの発信に寄与するものとした。