THESIS SUPERVISOR´S ASSESSMENT Student’s full name Lukáš Havlíček
Thesis title An Encounter with the Wilderness: Undermining European Identity in the Works of Joseph Conrad
Supervisor’s name Prof. Dr. Ewald Mengel
Degree course English for Business Administration
Mode of study Full-time
Thesis evaluation criteria Classification grade according to ECTS Structure
Outline and division A x
B
C D E F
Language level A x
B C D E F
Formatting (citations, presentation) x
A B C D E F
Content
Thesis statement formulation A x
B
C D E F
Sources and their utilization A x
B
C D E F
Methods of processing the research problem A B x
C D E F
Level of analytical and interpretive components A x
B C D E F
Formulation of conclusions and meeting the objectives A x B
C D E F
Originality and vocational contribution A x
B
C D E F
Evaluation justification (strengths and weaknesses of thesis):
A well-written thesis on an original topic. Candidate shows the capacity of dealing independently with a difficult theme. He has a good knowledge of the novels to be analysed, and compares them skilfully with regard to the chosen topic.
He shows how European identity is crumbling through the confrontation with exotic cultures and landscapes. The protagonists are lacking an inner strength that would enable them to resist the temptation of the exotic, and their Western culture and learning proves to be too thin a layer to pass the moral test.
As far as his chosen method is concerned, one would have wished that he had considered more works on sociological role theory and identity construction.
The candidate's English is throughout acceptable and idiomatically correct, with occasional slips of the pen which do not disturb the overall positive impression.
Questions to be answered by student:
How does (individual, cultural) identity come about?
Which role does unknown nature and culture play in the destruction of Western identity?
Why does Decoud in Nostromo commit suicide?
How do Conrad's material interests (ivory, silver) fit into the context of the novel's time?
The work was checked by the plagiarism detection system Theses with the result of negative/positive.*
Overall mark** A x
B
C D E F
Date: 16 May 2018 Signature: Ewald Mengel
** Circle the appropriate determination.
** Overall mark is not a mathematical average of individual marks.
