Conrad and Lying
Conrad and Lying

Summary/Abstract: Conrad’s attitude to lying appears to be unequivocally critical. Closer inspection reveals, however, that his approach is more complex. Writing about his life he intended to present it as coherent and ordered, with nothing left to chance and everything imbued with meaning. Thus white lies, compromises with the truth, half-truths, wishful thinking, and so on, are treated by Conrad as simply human. In his books Conrad presents different varieties of lying, and although he does not claim that lying is always wrong he proves that people are always responsible for the consequences of their lie and must bear such consequences. Some lies are noble, harmless or redemptive, bringing good, while some are destructive and corrupting. The most dangerous is self-delusion. The consequences that man has to face in case of such a lie are unexpected and irreversible.

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