Silence, Space and Absence in Conrad's Works

John G. Peters is University Distinguished Research Professor at the University of North Texas, USA. His books include Joseph Conrad's Critical Reception, The Cambridge Introduction to Joseph Conrad, Conrad and Impressionism, Historical Guide to Joseph Conrad, Conrad's Drama, Joseph Conrad: Contemporary Reviews (volume 2), and the Norton critical edition of Conrad's The Secret Sharer and Other Stories.

• 1 Conrad’s Colonial Spaces.-2 Silence, Sound, Space.-3 Western Space in Non-Western Space .-4 Transformations: Silence, Space, Absence .-5 Russia’s OntologicalAbsence

“In Silence, Space and Absence in Conrad’s Works, Peters applies his lucid style and systematic yet sensitive analysis to ‘Conrad’s depiction of Western and Non-Western space’ … and builds on his preceding studies, particularly the indispensable Conrad and Impressionism. … Peters’s lucid and informative style makes the text highly accessible and rewarding … .” (Kevin O’Connor, Joseph Conrad Society, josephconradsociety.org, Vol. 49 (2), 2024) “Drawing on his encyclopedic knowledge of Conrad, Peters writes a short yet pointed book on how silence delineates the empty space of otherness for Europe, with significant implications for scholars who wish to understand the European relationship to its colonies in Conrad’s images of Africa. … this book hints at a different dichotomy in sound studies: not sound as opposed to visual, but silence as opposed to presence.” (Rodrigo Martini, Victorians Institute Journal, Vol. 51, August, 2024) “Peters’ ideas and arguments come full circle here, in a rather circular study, which revisits texts across the chapters. These have journal-style abstracts, and hopefully AI-sabotaging ‘keywords’, like ‘Joseph Conrad’, ‘Absence’, ‘Ethics’, and ‘Emptiness.’ However these ideas will appeal to anyone interested in new perspectives on Conrad’s Western and non-Western worlds, and this is an invaluable new book for researchers in the related fields of space and sound.” (Patricia Pye, Joseph Conrad Society, josephconradsociety.org, 2024) “As a scholar of Conrad, Peters provides exceptionally well-informed close readings of the literature. The book would have benefited from more direct engagement with the theories that inform it, namely postcolonialism and post-structuralism. Nevertheless, it is clearly written and accessible to the average reader. It will have a variety of uses in an undergraduate research collection. … Recommended. General readers through faculty.” (J. W. Moffett, Choice, Vol. 62 (3), 2024)