Into the Jungle: Disentangling Form and Content in Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Abstract

This thesis aims to contribute to the discussion between monist and dualist views within the field of stylistics. In order to examine the relationship between form and content, a creative writing experiment is conducted in which the formal stylistic features that are to bring about estrangement in Heart of Darkness are supplanted in an original work of fiction that has content which does not inherently carry estranging connotations. The methods for stylistic analysis were taken from Leech & Short's landmark academic work on a more linguistical approach to stylistics: Style in Language. The results show that stylistic features operate regardless of content concerning mental states, however, the strength of the imagery decreases and content will always have an influence on the effect of formal stylistics.