Status
Available
Call number
Publication
W. W. Norton & Company (4th Edition)
Pages
514
Description
"Heart of Darkness follows the story of Charlie Marlow's time working on the Congo River. In his attempts to aid Mr. Kurtz, the chief of the Inner Station, Marlow is confronted with the cruel realities of European imperialism in Africa. This Norton Critical Edition is based on the 1902 English first book publication. The text comes paired with eplanatory footnotes, illustrations and photographs, and an introduction by the editor. "Backgrounds and Contexts" explores the wide range of historical attitudes that influenced the text, including essays on imperialism and the Congo, Nineteenth-Century Attitudes Toward Race, Conrad in the Congo, and The Author on Art and Literature. "Criticism" examines a wide range of critical responses to the novella, which span from Conrad's peers up until the twenty-first century. Essays from Chinua Achebe, Jeremy Hawthorn, Hunt Hawkins, Ian Watts, J. Hillis Miller, and others have been carried over from the previous edition. These classic essays are further supported by new material from Benita Parry, Susan Jones, Richard J. Ruppel, Adriana Cavarero, Jeffrey Mathes McCarthy, Urmila Seshagirl, and Nidesh Lawtoo. The collection of essays on film adaptations of the novella has been completely revised to include essays by Robert L. Carringer, Seymour Chatman, and Pamela Demory. A Chronology and revised Selected Bibliography are also included."--… (more)
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1902
1899 (serialized in “'Blackwood’s Magazine”)
Physical description
514 p.; 8.4 inches
ISBN
0393926362 / 9780393926361
Other editions
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User reviews
LibraryThing member 1morechapter
I will be reading more of Joseph Conrad's work. English was his third language after Polish and French, and his writing is superb.
Heart of Darkness tells a story about colonialism in the Congo, but it is so much more than that. It is more about men's 'hearts of darkness' and what they become after
Kurtz isn't the only one to leave his morals behind when he leaves 'civilization'. The actions of The Company Men leave moral questions as well. Is it only the ladies, as Marlowe states, who try to uphold society's mores, or are they just deluded in thinking society, left to itself, has any morals?
"It's queer how out of touch with truth women are. They live in a world of their own, and there had never been anything like it, and never can be. It is too beautiful altogether, and if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset."
This book is short but very complex. It is one that I'll definitely read again at some point to try to understand it a bit better. I'm still trying to figure out "The horror! The horror!"
Heart of Darkness tells a story about colonialism in the Congo, but it is so much more than that. It is more about men's 'hearts of darkness' and what they become after
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they leave 'civilization'. Marlow is a steamship captain in search of Kurtz, who is one of the best ivory traders The Company has. It is said that Kurtz has become ill and The Company does not want to lose him because of his high productivity in obtaining ivory. But just how does Kurtz maintain his high productivity?Kurtz isn't the only one to leave his morals behind when he leaves 'civilization'. The actions of The Company Men leave moral questions as well. Is it only the ladies, as Marlowe states, who try to uphold society's mores, or are they just deluded in thinking society, left to itself, has any morals?
"It's queer how out of touch with truth women are. They live in a world of their own, and there had never been anything like it, and never can be. It is too beautiful altogether, and if they were to set it up it would go to pieces before the first sunset."
This book is short but very complex. It is one that I'll definitely read again at some point to try to understand it a bit better. I'm still trying to figure out "The horror! The horror!"
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LibraryThing member lauranav
After reading Heart of Darkness, I also read the essay by Chinua Achebe accusing the novella and the author of racism.
In reading Heart of Darkness in Mr. Kurtz I see a portrayal of a man who was good at many things (painting, music, politics, writing) and considered a good man. He took his ideals
Mr. Achebe challenges me though, as I realize that while I find the natives portrayed sympathetically, abused and wronged by the white man, they are not portrayed honestly. As Marlow travels down the river, I felt he was characterizing our loss of touch with life and the daily immediacy and intimacy with nature and the world as a whole that "civilization" keeps at a distance through business and politeness. An African ceremony is used to get closer to nature and inner emotions, while a European ceremony is much better at keeping emotions and intimacy at a great distance. Achebe sees it all as a cheat of the Africans though. They are producing art and literature and a history at the very time that Conrad is showing them as shadows that appear on the river bank, jump up and down, and then melt back into the jungle.
In reading Heart of Darkness in Mr. Kurtz I see a portrayal of a man who was good at many things (painting, music, politics, writing) and considered a good man. He took his ideals
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to Africa, enlightened attitudes of treatment of the natives and bringing them the benefits of civilization. What he found in Africa was the darkness of his own sinful heart. I don't think that Africa turned him bad or wiped away the good of his civilization. I do think that the environment (the greed of the white colonialists who wanted ivory and the vulnerability of the natives) provided the opportunity for his base nature to overpower the veneer of civility. He finds that his goodness is not very deep, his talent is not earned or appreciated, and his ideals do not have enough foundation to withstand the evils that man is capable of. And what I see in Heart of Darkness is all about the white men showing their true colors.Mr. Achebe challenges me though, as I realize that while I find the natives portrayed sympathetically, abused and wronged by the white man, they are not portrayed honestly. As Marlow travels down the river, I felt he was characterizing our loss of touch with life and the daily immediacy and intimacy with nature and the world as a whole that "civilization" keeps at a distance through business and politeness. An African ceremony is used to get closer to nature and inner emotions, while a European ceremony is much better at keeping emotions and intimacy at a great distance. Achebe sees it all as a cheat of the Africans though. They are producing art and literature and a history at the very time that Conrad is showing them as shadows that appear on the river bank, jump up and down, and then melt back into the jungle.
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LibraryThing member shamille
Heart of Darkness is a ridiculous story about a ridiculous guy who travels down the Congo River to meet some other ridiculous english guy who lives in a jungle. The first guy (Marlow) is telling his story on a boat, to some other boat-people who are ridiculous enough to listen to him. Anyway, after
Anyway, it was written by a ridiculous Pole who (ridiculously) thinks he is english. Chinua Achebe called him a racist so he must be.
It was an ok story i guess but you really had to read some parts over and over again before you get the slightest idea of what Marlow is talking about. We had to read it for the katabasis theme thingy. Reading Dorian Gray was my katabasis.
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he tells about Africa, he tells about going to see Kurtz's (second guy's) fiancee, in Europe. She is ridiculous because she is still waiting for him.Anyway, it was written by a ridiculous Pole who (ridiculously) thinks he is english. Chinua Achebe called him a racist so he must be.
It was an ok story i guess but you really had to read some parts over and over again before you get the slightest idea of what Marlow is talking about. We had to read it for the katabasis theme thingy. Reading Dorian Gray was my katabasis.
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LibraryThing member dreamingtereza
I love this book! Granted, I was never forced to read it as a high school student. I have, however, had the distinct pleasure of reading it aloud in its entirety to my own students. And while it wasn't a particularly pleasant assignment (for them), it has helped more of them to improve their
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critical reading and writing skills than any other single work we covered in the five years that they sat in my classroom. Its sheer density (like the jungle, like the human heart) requires it to be taken slowly and processed much. Show Less
LibraryThing member jkepler
So, is Conrad a racist? Or does he simply reflect the thought-world and outlook of the European culture in which he lived?
Does he take Africa seriously, or does he simply use Africa as a foil to make Europe look advanced?
Does he mean that the line between light and darkness, good and evil divides
Does he take Africa seriously, or does he simply use Africa as a foil to make Europe look advanced?
Does he mean that the line between light and darkness, good and evil divides
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continents, people, and classes of people, or does he mean that it divided the human heart, and every human heart--as Solzhenitzen says in his "Gulag Archipelago"? Show Less
LibraryThing member foof2you
Another book I read for school. Not really impressed.
LibraryThing member technodiabla
Just finished Heart of Darkness. I found it to be an interesting study
from a psychological perspective and I would have enjoyed using it as a text in
a psychology course to spur discussion around the complex and partially
mysterious central figure-- most are so "text book". But I can't say that
lived up to expectations in the literary sense. It was a slow read and I
couldn't get really into it.
Rating: 3.0
from a psychological perspective and I would have enjoyed using it as a text in
a psychology course to spur discussion around the complex and partially
mysterious central figure-- most are so "text book". But I can't say that
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itlived up to expectations in the literary sense. It was a slow read and I
couldn't get really into it.
Rating: 3.0
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LibraryThing member camarie
I know this is supposed to be one of the most respected and beloved fiction novels of all time, but I don't know why. Marlow, the main character, is hired to run a steamship up the Congo river to save Kurtz, a man that everyone admires. When reading this book, I feel as if I am sailing up the Congo
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river with Marlow. The process is slow and painfully boring. By the time Marlow meets Kurtz, I don't even care who he is or why he does the things he does. I will say this for Conrad: He does a good job of showing how a man loses his sanity, though he does it in a very unappealing way. I also agree one hundred percent with Chinua Achebe, who claimed Conrad is a racist. Though the novel takes place primarily in Africa, the natives are scarce. All right, so it is depicting the Dutch colonization of Africa, where the white people enslaved the black people, but the natives that are shown are either disconnected body parts or vile creatures, except for one native woman at the end of the book, who is described as a statue, not exactly a compliment. I really recommend reading Chinua Achebe's essay An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness". Read Heart of Darkness at your own risk. Show Less
LibraryThing member jreinheimer
This is a novel about one man's experience in the Belgium Congo during colonialism. The main character shows how badly the native people were treated. This novel should only be read by high school seniors. It is too dense for any other grade level to follow along. It can be used to show what
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colonialism meant to different countries. It is a classic novel and can be compared to the movie Apocalypse Now. Show Less
LibraryThing member ellb
Not in any of the three college courses that I was required to read this novel, did I ever gain any appreciation for this text. Claustrophobia, if conveyed solely through words, would be the only way to describe the feelings evoked by this novel.
LibraryThing member richardderus
Book Circle Reads 19
Rating: 3 stars of five
The Book Description: More than a century after its publication (1899), Heart of Darkness remains an indisputably classic text and arguably Conrad's finest work.
This extensively revised Norton Critical Edition includes new materials that convey
A new section, "Nineteenth-Century Attitudes toward Race," includes writings by, among others, Hegel, Darwin, and Sir Francis Galton. New essays by Patrick Brantlinger, Marianna Torgovnik, Edward W. Said, Hunt Hawkins, Anthony Fothergill, and Paul Armstrong debate Chinua Achebe's controversial indictment of the novel's depiction of Africans and offer differing views about whether Conrad's beliefs about race were progressive or retrograde.
A rich selection of writings by Conrad on his life in the Congo is accompanied by extensive excerpts from his essays about art and literature. "Criticism" presents a wealth of new materials on Heart of Darkness, including contemporary responses by Henry James, E.M. Forster, Ford Madox Ford, and Virginia Woolf. Recent critical assessments by Peter Brooks, Jeremy Hawthorn, Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan, Andrew Michael Roberts, J. Hillis Miller, and Lissa Schneider cover a ranger of topics, from narrative theory to philosophy and sexuality. Also new to the Fourth Edition is a selection of writings on the connections between the novel and the film Apocalypse Now.
This Norton Critical Edition is again based on Robert Kimbrough's meticulously re-edited text of the novel. An expanded Textual Appendix allows the reader to follow Conrad's revisions at different stages of the creative process. A Chronology has been added, and the Selected Bibliography has been revised and updated.
My Review: Had I not read the critical edition of this book, I wouldn't have given it three stars. It's dense and chewy prose. It's a bleak story. It's Conrad's most famous and most lasting work because it's so astounding that a man of his era could be this perceptive and say so publicly! Oh, there was much tut-tutting at the time about the awfulness of Congo Free State's condition, but it was disingenuous at best and cynically political at worst. Conrad wrote a human response to a human horror, and he did so by making a White Man out to be Wrong!!!!!
Cue gasps! And start the applause.
But it is a slog to read, short though it might be. Simply put, Conrad spoke English as a third, yes THIRD language. He did an extraordinary thing, writing in his third language, but to me it felt like it was his third about half the time.
Still and all, I am quite pleased to have read the Norton Critical Edition, and to have a real sense of the book's revolutionary place. Quite a good use of my limited number of eyeblinks.
Rating: 3 stars of five
The Book Description: More than a century after its publication (1899), Heart of Darkness remains an indisputably classic text and arguably Conrad's finest work.
This extensively revised Norton Critical Edition includes new materials that convey
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nineteenth-century attitudes toward imperialism as well as the concerns of Conrad's contemporaries about King Leopold's exploitation of his African domain. New to the Fourth Edition are excerpts from Adam Hochschild's recent book, King Leopold's Ghost, and from Sir Roger Casement's influential "Congo Report" on Leopold's atrocities. "Backgrounds and Contexts" also provides readers with a collection of photographs and a map that bring the Congo Free State to life.A new section, "Nineteenth-Century Attitudes toward Race," includes writings by, among others, Hegel, Darwin, and Sir Francis Galton. New essays by Patrick Brantlinger, Marianna Torgovnik, Edward W. Said, Hunt Hawkins, Anthony Fothergill, and Paul Armstrong debate Chinua Achebe's controversial indictment of the novel's depiction of Africans and offer differing views about whether Conrad's beliefs about race were progressive or retrograde.
A rich selection of writings by Conrad on his life in the Congo is accompanied by extensive excerpts from his essays about art and literature. "Criticism" presents a wealth of new materials on Heart of Darkness, including contemporary responses by Henry James, E.M. Forster, Ford Madox Ford, and Virginia Woolf. Recent critical assessments by Peter Brooks, Jeremy Hawthorn, Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan, Andrew Michael Roberts, J. Hillis Miller, and Lissa Schneider cover a ranger of topics, from narrative theory to philosophy and sexuality. Also new to the Fourth Edition is a selection of writings on the connections between the novel and the film Apocalypse Now.
This Norton Critical Edition is again based on Robert Kimbrough's meticulously re-edited text of the novel. An expanded Textual Appendix allows the reader to follow Conrad's revisions at different stages of the creative process. A Chronology has been added, and the Selected Bibliography has been revised and updated.
My Review: Had I not read the critical edition of this book, I wouldn't have given it three stars. It's dense and chewy prose. It's a bleak story. It's Conrad's most famous and most lasting work because it's so astounding that a man of his era could be this perceptive and say so publicly! Oh, there was much tut-tutting at the time about the awfulness of Congo Free State's condition, but it was disingenuous at best and cynically political at worst. Conrad wrote a human response to a human horror, and he did so by making a White Man out to be Wrong!!!!!
Cue gasps! And start the applause.
But it is a slog to read, short though it might be. Simply put, Conrad spoke English as a third, yes THIRD language. He did an extraordinary thing, writing in his third language, but to me it felt like it was his third about half the time.
Still and all, I am quite pleased to have read the Norton Critical Edition, and to have a real sense of the book's revolutionary place. Quite a good use of my limited number of eyeblinks.
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LibraryThing member BadCursive
Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness takes readers on a journey up the Congo River and into the middle of a postcolonial wrangle. One of the things at odds in this book is the European thought process of what is considered civilized versus what is uncivilized. The colonizers, also known as the
Some readers might believe, because of the nature of repetition in literature, that the differences between East and West are as plain as Conrad describes, the savage in contrast to the cultivated. Others might look back on history and see the dampening of the African culture as necessary for civilized advancements instead of dishonorable and inhuman. Still others might agree with the treatment of the marginalized in this book as necessary for the greater good. A close read of Heart of Darkness might also expose another meaning to Marlow’s account of that trip up river. Perhaps Conrad wants the reader to question the validity of imperialism. Noorbakhsh Hooti and Masoud Mousaabad posit this and suggest that Conrad’s use of irony “leaves something unveiled…for the reader which does not necessarily go with the positive side of imperialism, but tries to help the reader to unveil the reality of imperialistic practices” (63). An example can be found in Chapter 1 as Marlow waits in the Station. “Strings of dusty n*gg*rs with splay feet arrived and departed; a stream of manufactured goods, rubbishy cottons, beads, and brass-wire set into the depths of darkness, and in return came a precious trickle of ivory” (Conrad 18), indicating that the primary concern, the primary goal, is to obtain more ivory even when the trade is for human beings here described as something below mankind. Here Conrad unveils the domination of a people in the name of colonization.
Conrad also uses the environment of the Congo to present a dark image of Africa that reflects back upon the actions of the colonizers. From Marlow’s first encounter with the Station that he describes as a “scene of inhabited devastation” (15) to the dark wilderness he experiences as he travels up river, never is there a period of calm or order that might be associated with European civilization. The environment Conrad describes is in exact disagreement with a civilized society. “It manifests as an unrestrained savagery which by its very nature threatens as a massive presence that will block the imposition of civilized order” (Brown). The darkness seems to deepen and the environment appears to envelope anyone or anything that attempts to change it. Because Marlow tells this story as he sits on the Thames River readers can surmise the similarities between the Congo and the Thames, and on a greater level Europe and Africa.
So what is one to think of Conrad after reading Heart of Darkness? Is he a racist and pro-imperialism or does he tell his story through Marlow in an attempt to expose the injustices of this system of dominance. Michael Lackey points out that if it can be “shown that Marlow is a racist, then we can conclude that Conrad is a racist” (1), because the two speak as one throughout the novel. Marlow is never at ease though with the events that unfold on his journey, perhaps callous and indifferent but never really okay with his surroundings. Marlow’s restlessness and dwindling enthusiasm show that he is as trapped and disempowered as the oppressed African’s of the Congo.
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cultured and proper Europeans, exist is a world where the African people and culture that they have colonized is understood only in negative terms. The light and dark imagery, and white versus black race illustrations that Conrad presents depict a clear division of power and control. The white colonizers hold all the power while the black “creatures” (Conrad 17) are beaten and starved into submission by their handlers.Some readers might believe, because of the nature of repetition in literature, that the differences between East and West are as plain as Conrad describes, the savage in contrast to the cultivated. Others might look back on history and see the dampening of the African culture as necessary for civilized advancements instead of dishonorable and inhuman. Still others might agree with the treatment of the marginalized in this book as necessary for the greater good. A close read of Heart of Darkness might also expose another meaning to Marlow’s account of that trip up river. Perhaps Conrad wants the reader to question the validity of imperialism. Noorbakhsh Hooti and Masoud Mousaabad posit this and suggest that Conrad’s use of irony “leaves something unveiled…for the reader which does not necessarily go with the positive side of imperialism, but tries to help the reader to unveil the reality of imperialistic practices” (63). An example can be found in Chapter 1 as Marlow waits in the Station. “Strings of dusty n*gg*rs with splay feet arrived and departed; a stream of manufactured goods, rubbishy cottons, beads, and brass-wire set into the depths of darkness, and in return came a precious trickle of ivory” (Conrad 18), indicating that the primary concern, the primary goal, is to obtain more ivory even when the trade is for human beings here described as something below mankind. Here Conrad unveils the domination of a people in the name of colonization.
Conrad also uses the environment of the Congo to present a dark image of Africa that reflects back upon the actions of the colonizers. From Marlow’s first encounter with the Station that he describes as a “scene of inhabited devastation” (15) to the dark wilderness he experiences as he travels up river, never is there a period of calm or order that might be associated with European civilization. The environment Conrad describes is in exact disagreement with a civilized society. “It manifests as an unrestrained savagery which by its very nature threatens as a massive presence that will block the imposition of civilized order” (Brown). The darkness seems to deepen and the environment appears to envelope anyone or anything that attempts to change it. Because Marlow tells this story as he sits on the Thames River readers can surmise the similarities between the Congo and the Thames, and on a greater level Europe and Africa.
So what is one to think of Conrad after reading Heart of Darkness? Is he a racist and pro-imperialism or does he tell his story through Marlow in an attempt to expose the injustices of this system of dominance. Michael Lackey points out that if it can be “shown that Marlow is a racist, then we can conclude that Conrad is a racist” (1), because the two speak as one throughout the novel. Marlow is never at ease though with the events that unfold on his journey, perhaps callous and indifferent but never really okay with his surroundings. Marlow’s restlessness and dwindling enthusiasm show that he is as trapped and disempowered as the oppressed African’s of the Congo.
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LibraryThing member jerry-book
Classic tale of colonialism and the descent of man into savagery
LibraryThing member breic
Having read "King Leopold's Ghost," I wanted to finally read "Heart of Darkness." Flawed in some obvious ways, but short enough that I can't mind too much.
> Droll thing life is—that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of
> I saw on that ivory face the expression of sombre pride, of ruthless power, of craven terror—of an intense and hopeless despair. Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision—he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: "The horror! The horror!" … I was within a hair's breadth of the last opportunity for pronouncement, and I found with humiliation that probably I would have nothing to say. This is the reason why I affirm that Kurtz was a remarkable man. He had something to say. He said it. Since I had peeped over the edge myself, I understand better the meaning of his stare, that could not see the flame of the candle, but was wide enough to embrace the whole universe, piercing enough to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness. He had summed up—he had judged. "The horror!"
> Droll thing life is—that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of
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yourself—that comes too late—a crop of unextinguishable regrets.> I saw on that ivory face the expression of sombre pride, of ruthless power, of craven terror—of an intense and hopeless despair. Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision—he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: "The horror! The horror!" … I was within a hair's breadth of the last opportunity for pronouncement, and I found with humiliation that probably I would have nothing to say. This is the reason why I affirm that Kurtz was a remarkable man. He had something to say. He said it. Since I had peeped over the edge myself, I understand better the meaning of his stare, that could not see the flame of the candle, but was wide enough to embrace the whole universe, piercing enough to penetrate all the hearts that beat in the darkness. He had summed up—he had judged. "The horror!"
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LibraryThing member japaul22
This was an interesting book to read, following closely on the heels of one of my last reads of 2012, the nonfiction book King Leopold's Ghost. Heart of Darkness itself is the long short story or novella that gives some of Conrad's observations of his 6 month trip through the Congo. To be honest,
However, the text of the book itself only comprised 77 pages of this 504 page critical edition. I did not read every essay word for word, but for the most part they were interesting and enlightening. Included are encyclopedia entries from the time the book was written, essays on race from the time period by people like Hegel and Darwin, contemporary responses to Heart of Darkness, and then more current essays on racism and sexism in the book and its worth as far as being read now. I haven't done this kind of in depth study on a book in quite some time and I enjoyed it, especially with a book that has caused as much controversy as this one.
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the book itself didn't do much for me. I appreciated some of the literary techniques, such as the embedded narrator and the way he uses descriptive language. However, that descriptive language was also the book's downfall for me personally. It kept me too far removed from the actual story (or what I wanted to be the actual story)- the interaction between the native people who inhabited the region known as the Congo and the white explorers, colonists, invaders, whatever you want to call them! Instead this read as more of one man's obsession with the idea of another, Kurtz. I just didn't get that into it. I felt oddly that as much as the Congo should have been the main point of the book, the actual story could have really taken place anywhere and that bothered me. However, the text of the book itself only comprised 77 pages of this 504 page critical edition. I did not read every essay word for word, but for the most part they were interesting and enlightening. Included are encyclopedia entries from the time the book was written, essays on race from the time period by people like Hegel and Darwin, contemporary responses to Heart of Darkness, and then more current essays on racism and sexism in the book and its worth as far as being read now. I haven't done this kind of in depth study on a book in quite some time and I enjoyed it, especially with a book that has caused as much controversy as this one.
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LibraryThing member baswood
If ever a book of Novella length (77 pages) deserves the Norton Critical Edition treatment it is Heart of Darkness. The book runs to over 500 pages and my second hand edition was full of post-it notes in nine different colours. There is no evidence who the literature student was who posted all the
My last review of an English language book was the penguin edition of Heart of Darkness and LolaWalser (of course) posted a comment recommending that I look for criticism of the book by African Writers as white people are constantly finding excuses for Conrad's strident racism. The norton critical edition has Achebe's essay: An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but all the other critical essays are from white authors, some of whom do address Achebe's concerns. In fact J. Hillis Miller asks the question 'Should we read "Heart of Darkness"
"Heart of Darkness has often received a heavy sentence from its critics. It has been condemned often in angry terms, as racist or sexist, sometimes in the same essay as both.................Nevertheless, according to the paradox I have already mentioned, you could only be sure about this by reading the novella yourself, therefore putting yourself, if these critics are right, in danger of becoming sexist, racist, and Eurocentric yourself.
Chinua Achebe says:
The real question is the dehumanisation of Africa and Africans, which this age long attitude has fostered and continues to foster in this world. And the question is whether a novel which celebrates this dehumanisation, which depersonalises a portion of the human race, can be called a great work of art. My answer is: No, it cannot...........................Whatever Conrad's problems were, you might say he is safely dead. Quite true. Unfortunately his heart of darkness plagues us still. Which is why an offensive and deplorable book can be described by a serious scholar as "among the half dozen greatest short story novels in the English language." And why it is today perhaps the most commonly prescribed novel in twentieth-century literature courses in English Departments of American Universities.
Achebe originally called Conrad a bloody racist, but toned this down in a later revision as a thoroughgoing racist. He says:
Conrad saw and condemned the evil of imperial exploitation, but was strangely unaware of the racism on which it sharpened its iron tooth.
In my opinion, the dichotomy of the book is that from a late 20th century perspective Achebe was correct in everything he says, however Conrad was writing his novel in 1902 some seventy years earlier, when the term racism had not even been invented. By all accounts he was conservative in his outlook, but this did not stop from him being horrified by what he saw and publishing a novel which at the time expressed liberal views. Paul B Armstrong says:
This conflict is only the latest chapter in a long history of disagreement about whether to regard 'Heart of Darkness" as a daring attack on imperialism or a reactionary purveyor of colonial stereotypes.
So we come back to the question of whether we should read this book. Speaking for myself I would want to read and re-read a book that has caused so much controversy. Being a white male I could not be personally offended by Conrads depiction of African natives, and although recognising it as racist from a contemporary viewpoint I am in a position to understand Conrad's viewpoint which reflects the culture and attitudes of his times. I do also of course understand why some people would choose not to read it.
The Norton Critical edition includes textual variants to the original novella and there are over 100 pages devoted to Backgrounds and Contents, which deal with Imperialism and the Belgian Congo and there is a section on 19th century attitudes towards race. Conrad and the Congo describes Conrad's own travels down the river by excerpts from his diary and selected letters. There is 200 pages of criticism ranging from contemporary responses to essays comparing themes in Hearts of Darkness to the film Apocalypse Now. It does lack criticism from black writers (only Achebe's essay is featured), but there is enough to enjoy and perhaps study Conrad's novella. 5 stars.
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notes and so when I removed them all I had a perfectly clean copy. It was no longer clean when I had finished it, but I did use a pencil (a stadilo pencil 160 coming from the Czech Republic). My last review of an English language book was the penguin edition of Heart of Darkness and LolaWalser (of course) posted a comment recommending that I look for criticism of the book by African Writers as white people are constantly finding excuses for Conrad's strident racism. The norton critical edition has Achebe's essay: An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness, but all the other critical essays are from white authors, some of whom do address Achebe's concerns. In fact J. Hillis Miller asks the question 'Should we read "Heart of Darkness"
"Heart of Darkness has often received a heavy sentence from its critics. It has been condemned often in angry terms, as racist or sexist, sometimes in the same essay as both.................Nevertheless, according to the paradox I have already mentioned, you could only be sure about this by reading the novella yourself, therefore putting yourself, if these critics are right, in danger of becoming sexist, racist, and Eurocentric yourself.
Chinua Achebe says:
The real question is the dehumanisation of Africa and Africans, which this age long attitude has fostered and continues to foster in this world. And the question is whether a novel which celebrates this dehumanisation, which depersonalises a portion of the human race, can be called a great work of art. My answer is: No, it cannot...........................Whatever Conrad's problems were, you might say he is safely dead. Quite true. Unfortunately his heart of darkness plagues us still. Which is why an offensive and deplorable book can be described by a serious scholar as "among the half dozen greatest short story novels in the English language." And why it is today perhaps the most commonly prescribed novel in twentieth-century literature courses in English Departments of American Universities.
Achebe originally called Conrad a bloody racist, but toned this down in a later revision as a thoroughgoing racist. He says:
Conrad saw and condemned the evil of imperial exploitation, but was strangely unaware of the racism on which it sharpened its iron tooth.
In my opinion, the dichotomy of the book is that from a late 20th century perspective Achebe was correct in everything he says, however Conrad was writing his novel in 1902 some seventy years earlier, when the term racism had not even been invented. By all accounts he was conservative in his outlook, but this did not stop from him being horrified by what he saw and publishing a novel which at the time expressed liberal views. Paul B Armstrong says:
This conflict is only the latest chapter in a long history of disagreement about whether to regard 'Heart of Darkness" as a daring attack on imperialism or a reactionary purveyor of colonial stereotypes.
So we come back to the question of whether we should read this book. Speaking for myself I would want to read and re-read a book that has caused so much controversy. Being a white male I could not be personally offended by Conrads depiction of African natives, and although recognising it as racist from a contemporary viewpoint I am in a position to understand Conrad's viewpoint which reflects the culture and attitudes of his times. I do also of course understand why some people would choose not to read it.
The Norton Critical edition includes textual variants to the original novella and there are over 100 pages devoted to Backgrounds and Contents, which deal with Imperialism and the Belgian Congo and there is a section on 19th century attitudes towards race. Conrad and the Congo describes Conrad's own travels down the river by excerpts from his diary and selected letters. There is 200 pages of criticism ranging from contemporary responses to essays comparing themes in Hearts of Darkness to the film Apocalypse Now. It does lack criticism from black writers (only Achebe's essay is featured), but there is enough to enjoy and perhaps study Conrad's novella. 5 stars.
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LibraryThing member Whicker
Excellent read that should not be missed. Conrad plunges into the depths of the human heart and mind on several layers using the dark continent of Africa as a perfect metaphor.
LibraryThing member SeriousGrace
We begin with two rivers of contradiction, the Thames and the Congo. Marlow's journey begins and ends on the Thames.
After reading Heart of Darkness did you ask yourself, "what is the definition of civilized?" I know I did.
Also, I found myself paying attention to light and dark imagery throughout
I know many people who couldn't stand Heart of Darkness, but I have to offer this as an alternative. Why? Why is it so hated? I can remember reading a book about a woman working up the courage to commit suicide. I cared to little for the character that by the end of the book I was wishing she would just get it over with! I wanted her kill herself. Instead of saying I hated the book because I wanted the main character dead, I applauded the author. The power of the writing forced me to feel that strongly about a character. Maybe, just maybe, Conrad was forcing his audience to hate much in the same way.
After reading Heart of Darkness did you ask yourself, "what is the definition of civilized?" I know I did.
Also, I found myself paying attention to light and dark imagery throughout
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Heart of Darkness. There were contradiction of light and darkness - the sun setting versus the lighthouse's beam and the glare of the stars. Light needs the dark in order to be its brightest. Night falling has an impact on people and places. All in all, the plot was slow and plodding. I kept waiting for something drastic to happen because I knew the horror could jump out and gnash its teeth any second. The pages leading up to the grand finale seemed nothing more than a vain attempt to rattle the nerves.I know many people who couldn't stand Heart of Darkness, but I have to offer this as an alternative. Why? Why is it so hated? I can remember reading a book about a woman working up the courage to commit suicide. I cared to little for the character that by the end of the book I was wishing she would just get it over with! I wanted her kill herself. Instead of saying I hated the book because I wanted the main character dead, I applauded the author. The power of the writing forced me to feel that strongly about a character. Maybe, just maybe, Conrad was forcing his audience to hate much in the same way.
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FIC A4 Con