120410 Comparative Literature 2DW Georg Simmel (1858-1918) o German-Jewish Sociologist/social philosopher o The Philosophy of Money; :The Metropolis

and Mental Life o Association with formal sociology The Stranger as a sociological form Potential wanderer (someone who does not seem to be rooted in the community as the others); part of the community and the life The stranger is one who brings in some sort of quality that could not be formed in the group itself o Not just an outsider, but rather familiar and not familiar/ displaced and from somewhere else/ part of and apart from the group Historically closely linked to the trader: part of the economic life of the community by virtue or outside the group o Brings commodities to the place, therefore part of the economic life, but not like farmers What is peculiar of Jewish experience in German country The objectivity of the stranger o Distance and nearness (both inside and outside), indifference and involvement o Outsider perspective; critical distance; ability to look at the culture from an outsider perspective Edward Said (1935-2003) o Palestinian-Christian literacy critic and political analyst o Orientalism; Culture and Imperialism o Reflections on Exile Overlaps with Simmels claims Modern western culture is largely produced by exiles (includes music, literature, etc.) Exile is a condition that is an inherent denied dignity They have to look beyond the literature of exile and to rethink the experience from the perspective of the masses of refugees Part of the experience of the exile is that the history is lost (uprooted) need to reestablish history(pg 139) Exile and nationalism are 2 sides of the same coin Nationalism: assertion of belonging to a particular place, people, language, culture, and heritage benefits of exile: Like the objectivity that Simmel talked about in The Stranger

Intellectual vocation critical consciousness Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) o Born Jzef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski o Polish national, sailor, exile, naturalized British citizen o Heart of Darkness; Lord Jim; The Secret Agent o Amy Foster Setting: east coast of England Yanko (Johnny): Polish emigrant bound for America from a poor peasant family; local peasant consciousness (limited knowledge) Lands as a castaway somewhere in English (no idea where he is) Perceived and received as violent madman Two different culture; sense of alienness Becomes a stranger (in Simmels term) Falls in love with Amy Foster (simple peasant girl), falls ill, and estranged from his wife for some reason, and dies a horrible death ** grim story about isolation, miscommunication (inability to communicate) Difference between experience in mind and experience with the others and the outside world (pg 3) Who is the narrator of the story? unnamed narrator Narrative within a narrative