Heart of Darkness / Jądro ciemności / Serce ciemności: Conrad's Novella in Translation 3301-JS2824
During the course we will study Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, a classic work of English literature, and its multiple Polish versions:
- Jądro ciemności, translated by Aniela Zagórska (1930)
- Jądro ciemności, translated by Jędrzej Polak (1994)
- Jądro ciemności, translated by Barbara Koc (2000)
- Jądro ciemności, translated by Patrycja Jabłońska (2008)
- Jądro ciemności, translated by Magdalena Heydel (2011)
- Serce ciemności, adaptation by Jacek Dukaj (2017)
Our discussion of these texts, which will be based on relevant concepts of translatology, and especially translation studies - such as polysystem theory, the idea of translation as the experience of the foreign, the strategies of foreignisation and domestication - will serve as a starting point for a broader reflection regarding the unique and problematic nature of literature in translation and its changing position in Polish culture.
The classes will be devoted to:
- a close analysis of the original text, focusing on its language and cultural content;
- an analysis and assessment of each translation, taking into account its cultural context and purpose;
- consideration of the relationship between the original text and its translation(s) (the concepts of foreignisation and domestication);
- consideration of the status and role of translated literature in the target culture (Itamar Even-Zohar’s polysystem theory and his notion of culture repertoire, as well as Antoine Berman’s idea of translation as the experience of the foreign);
- consideration of the translator’s status (as theorized by Lawrence Venuti);
- the reception and criticism of literary translations in Poland.
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
For students who started their studies in the academic years 2022/23-
2024/25
Knowledge
The graduate will be able to:
K_W01 Identify and characterize on an advanced level the place and status of literary translation, including the concept of retranslation, within the humanities
K_W02 Describe on an advanced level the current trends in translation studies research, including the concept of retranslation, within English studies
Abilities
The graduate is able to:
K_U01 Apply advanced terminology and notions pertinent to the discipline of translation studies, including the concept of retranslation
K_U03 Apply knowledge obtained during the course of studies to account for and solve a problem, thereby completing a research task related to literary translation and translation studies
K_U04 Analyze linguistic, literary and cultural phenomena related to the translation of English prose and draw generalizations on their basis in the context of societal, historical and economic factors on an advanced level
K_U05 Discern alternative methodological paradigms within literary translation and translation studies
K_U08 Participate in group projects on English prose as material for translation into Polish, collaborate with others and be a team leader in conducting collaborative research, presentations and other tasks included in the curriculum
K_U09 Present knowledge on the translation of contemporary British fiction in a coherent, precise and linguistically correct manner in English at C2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, ensuring an appropriate register and form
Social competences
The graduate is ready to:
K_K02 Apply knowledge and skills related to literary translation and translation studies obtained during the course of studies to undertake lifelong learning, as well as personal and professional development
K_K03 Take responsibility for performing one’s professional duties, with due respect for the work of others, obey and develop the ethical norms in professional and academic settings related to literary translation and translation studies
K_K04 Assess critically one’s own knowledge and skills related to the analysis of literary translation, including the concept of retranslation.
For students beginning their studies in the academic year 2025/26:
Knowledge: the graduate has familiarity with:
K_W01 advanced terminology, theory and research methods corresponding to
the state of the art in the discipline of linguistics, in relation to the concepts of retranslation, literary translation and literary translation studies.
K_W04 concepts and principles concerning the protection of intellectual property and copyright
Abilities: the graduate is able to:
K_U01 apply advanced terminology, theory and research methods
corresponding to the state of the art in the discipline of linguistics, in
relation to the concepts of retranslation, literary translation and literary translation studies.
K_U04 apply the concepts and principles of intellectual property protection and
copyright law
Social competences: the graduate is ready to:
K_K01 critically appraise their knowledge and content obtained from various
sources
K_K02 recognize the importance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems; consult experts when required.
Assessment criteria
The final grade will be based on: 1) regular attendance and active participation in classes, including short presentations; 2) a written assignment: an analysis of a selected fragment of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in different translations, which will include an in-depth critical assessment of the said translations from a translatological perspective, or an analysis of a translation of the novella that we do not discuss in class.
Attendance - min. 80%
If the course is taught online, each student is expected to have a working web-cam and microphone.
Retake - rewriting the term paper, if the student has received an unsatisfactory grade. Completing additional written assignments, if the in-class work has been unsatisfactory.
Bibliography
Bassnett, Susan (1991) Translation Studies, London: Routledge.
Bassnett, Susan and André Lefevere (1998) Constructing Cultures. Essays on Literary Translation, Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.
Berman, Antoine (2000 [1985]) “Translation and the Trials of the Foreign”, trans. Lawrence Venuti, in Lawrence Venuti (ed.) The Translation Studies Reader, London & New York: Routledge, 284-297.
Bukowski, Piotr i Magda Heydel ed. (2009) Współczesne teorie przekładu, Kraków: Znak.
Even-Zohar, Itamar (2000 [1975/revised 1990]) “The Position of Translated Literature within the Literary Polysystem”, in Lawrence Venuti (ed.) The Translation Studies Reader, London & New York: Routledge, 192-197.
Even-Zohar, Itamar (1997) “ The Making of Culture Repertoire and the Role of Transfer”, Target, 9 (2), 373-381.
Jarniewicz, Jerzy (2012) Gościnność słowa. Szkice o przekładzie literackim, Kraków: Znak.
Jarniewicz, Jerzy (2018) Tłumacz między innymi. Szkice o przekładach, językach i literaturze, Wrocław: Ossolineum.
Kozak, Jolanta (2009) Przekład literacki jako metafora. Miedzy logos a lexis, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
Toury, Gideon (2000 [1978/revised 1995]) “The Nature and Role of Norms in Translation” in Lawrence Venuti (ed.) The Translation Studies Reader, London & New York: Routlefge, 198-211.
Venuti, Lawrence (1995) The Translator's Invisibility. A History of Translation, London & New York: Routledge.
Venuti, Lawrence ed. (2000) The Translation Studies Reader, London & New York: Routledge.
The novels:
Conrad, Joseph (1994 [1899]) Heart of Darkness, London: Penguin Books.
Conrad, Joseph (1994) Jądro ciemności, trans. Jędrzej Polak, Poznań: SAWW.
Conrad, Joseph (2008) Jądro ciemności, trans. Patrycja Jabłońska, Kraków: Wydawnictwo Greg.
Conrad, Joseph (2009) Jądro ciemności, trans. Ireneusz Socha, Kraków: Zielona Sowa.
Conrad, Joseph (2011) Jądro ciemności, trans. Magdalena Heydel, Kraków: Znak.
Conrad, Joseph (2017 [1930]) Jądro ciemności, trans. Aniela Zagórska, Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie.
Conrad, Joseph (2017) Serce ciemności, trans. Jacek Dukaj, Kraków: Wydawnictwo Literackie.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: