Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Signet Classics
Pages
168
Description
Heart Of Darkness. The story of the civilized, enlightened Mr. Kurtz who embarks on a harrowing "night journey" into the savage heart of Africa, only to find his dark and evil soul. The Secret Sharer. The saga of a young, inexperienced skipper forced to decide the fate of a fugitive sailor who killed a man in self-defense. As he faces his first moral test the skipper discovers a terrifying truth -- and comes face to face with the secret itself. Heart Of Darkness and The Secret Sharer draw on actual events and people that Conrad met or heard about during his many far-flung travels. In portraying men whose incredible journeys on land and at sea are also symbolic voyages into their own mysterious depths, these two masterful works give credence to Conrad's acclaim as a major psychological writer.… (more)
Description
Heart of Darkness is a journey up the Congo River to where an ivory agent, Kurtz, has succumbed to human weakness and evil, and has disintegrated into a grotesque creature. The Secret Sharer is an allegorical examination of a timid man who struggles to stifle the more physical and
dangerous part of himself. Eventually, he resolves this duality and becomes more daring--and, therefore, more complete.
dangerous part of himself. Eventually, he resolves this duality and becomes more daring--and, therefore, more complete.
Collection
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1899
1910
Physical description
168 p.; 6.75 inches
ISBN
9780451531032
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User reviews
LibraryThing member Kristelh
Hypocrisy of imperialism.
LibraryThing member ghr4
These two novellas of Joseph Conrad demonstrate his vivid writing style, rich use of symbolism, and commanding prose which, despite the dark themes, often borders on poetry. “The Secret Sharer,” concerning a conflicted young sea captain torn between the duty to his ship and loyalty to a rescued
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officer who has murdered a mutinous shipmate, is the easier read of the two. The narrator captain sees the fugitive as his double, another side of himself, and identifies with him from the outset, though the associative elements beyond the physical similarities are difficult to discern. “Heart of Darkness,” based on a frightening episode in Conrad’s life, explores the dark recesses of the human heart and soul, and the depravity which results from endless greed. Conrad alludes to this being the universal timelessness of such savagery, stretching from primitive times to today and beyond: “The mind of a man is capable of everything because everything is in it, all the past as well as all the future.” There is a hypnotic quality to Conrad’s writing, which operates on several levels. These stories demand a second reading, and perhaps even a third to fully appreciate. They seem to linger in the mind. Show Less
LibraryThing member meandmybooks
An exploration of darkness, but in truly gorgeous prose. And there are a couple silly bits (I particularly enjoyed Marlow's comments about how his vanity caused him to hope that his cannibal employees found him more appetizing looking than his obese, sticky steamboat passengers. ) which, given the
*I am commenting only on Heart of Darkness, not The Secret Sharer, which I did not read.
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general grimness of the story, are particularly welcome. *I am commenting only on Heart of Darkness, not The Secret Sharer, which I did not read.
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LibraryThing member DanielAlgara
I'm a little torn on this one. Clearly,Conrad is a capable writer. Not entirely compelling, but skilled in the art of penned language.
The book was a lot of waiting for something to happen. (I know most see it as a social commentary, which it is not, so please do not think I missed the point of any
Conrad's language is beautiful and thankfully lacks the tactless erudition of his peers, but I wanted to know more about Kurtz; see things from his point of view. He was both the hero and the villain, but I never got to enjoy the whole point of the thing. In the end it was unbelievable that Marlow could admire Kurtz to the extent that he did, because he didn't even know the guy, his knowledge of him was entirely second hand. Who admires a guy whom they nothing about and who is a tyrannical monster no less? Boo.
One last thing. All writers, esteemed or not, should use the standard dialogue format. Yeah, yeah I get it-the flow of consciousness and unbroken thought and action-but it's lame. No one is distracted by each quote having its own line. Conrad does himself a disservice by placing his quotes in the body of the thinker's narrative. Please don't tell me there's any real need for it.
Anywho, there it is.
The book was a lot of waiting for something to happen. (I know most see it as a social commentary, which it is not, so please do not think I missed the point of any
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authorial intention.) The only person I wanted to know about was Kurtz and damn it if I got nothing but a maniac on his death bed. Conrad's language is beautiful and thankfully lacks the tactless erudition of his peers, but I wanted to know more about Kurtz; see things from his point of view. He was both the hero and the villain, but I never got to enjoy the whole point of the thing. In the end it was unbelievable that Marlow could admire Kurtz to the extent that he did, because he didn't even know the guy, his knowledge of him was entirely second hand. Who admires a guy whom they nothing about and who is a tyrannical monster no less? Boo.
One last thing. All writers, esteemed or not, should use the standard dialogue format. Yeah, yeah I get it-the flow of consciousness and unbroken thought and action-but it's lame. No one is distracted by each quote having its own line. Conrad does himself a disservice by placing his quotes in the body of the thinker's narrative. Please don't tell me there's any real need for it.
Anywho, there it is.
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LibraryThing member delta351
Been 15/20 years since I read this. Starts out slow IMO, and I was wondering if it wasn't going to be another horrible slog like Lord Jim was for me. like the steamer returning to civilization, it picks up speed pretty quickly.
Despite constant mental flashbacks to the movie, I really like the
Despite constant mental flashbacks to the movie, I really like the
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story. Man goes native in the bush, and sets up his own empire. Quite a lot going on in the 3d chapter, and I would love to sit down and go through it slowly line by line and get the full gist of the story. I love the fact that he has banded together his own army and it battling over the fossil ivory of central Africa. Unfortunately,back to the shelf for HOD until next time. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stormrose
3/20
Quite enjoyed this one - thought it would be much tougher than it was. The introduction was lovely (although I have a MUCH older version, so I didn't read Oates) - it got me in the right mindset.Starting with "The Secret Sharer" was also good, as it got me accustomed to Conrad's style and
As usual, very disjointed review.
Quite enjoyed this one - thought it would be much tougher than it was. The introduction was lovely (although I have a MUCH older version, so I didn't read Oates) - it got me in the right mindset.Starting with "The Secret Sharer" was also good, as it got me accustomed to Conrad's style and
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psychology - not that you can ever fully understand it! But in any case "Heart of Darkness" would have been a hit. It's...absolutely haunting. Conrad is brilliant in how much he lets us know about Kurtz - or how little - because it allows us to put our own interpretations on him. He's a fascinating character. The theme of nightmares is also quite prevelant - the idea that neither of the two sides of imperialism we see - Kurtz and the company - are good, but only two versions of nightmares, of which Marlowe must choose one. It's powerful precisely because there is no redemption to be found. The concept of the alien - of the alien continent, as it were - pervades the novel. It's hard to tell if colonialism and imperialism are dealt with fully - we only get one side of the coin (meaning that the criticism comes only from the white europeans, and africans are denied a voice and identity in the novel). However, that may be by design, through Conrad's dealing with alienation.As usual, very disjointed review.
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LibraryThing member osunale
The Secret Sharer is certainly the better of these two stories (but perhaps that is simply because I find the maritime setting generally more appealing than the colonial Africa one), though Heart of Darkness is one of the most compelling tales of human darkness that I've ever come across. HoD reads
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like a psychological thriller with the intelligence and insight needed to back it up. Intense and trudging, this story from the most brilliant of novelists does not make light or easy reading but is well worth any effort the reader makes to comprehend the primal darkness of the soul. Show Less
LibraryThing member sarjah
I will admit that its possible I didn't get this book, but I thought there was a large buildup and then a small payoff. Other things about this book were good the writing style was great and the story is engaging but when you finally meet Kurtz you expect something more than he is.
LibraryThing member DCArchitect
Conrad's engrossing examination of the nature of man, civilization and madness in the form of a dark adventure is also a damning examination of European colonialism.
Full of exacting descriptions of unresolved feelings and experiences, the book worms its way into your immagination.
A classic of 20th
Full of exacting descriptions of unresolved feelings and experiences, the book worms its way into your immagination.
A classic of 20th
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century lit. for very good reason Show Less
LibraryThing member ajjacobson
This intellectually stimulating novel follows a man named Marlow on his adventure up the Congo river and into the middle of Africa, or "Heart of Darkness". He is a steam boat captain for a British Ivory-trading corporation. His duty is to first repair his damaged ship, then travel up the river to
One of the main characters, Mr. Kurtz, has embodied the idea of a Utopian society. He is perfectly happy living in the jungle with no other people from the civilized world. He prefers to make friends with the natives and spend his time digging up fossilized ivory. He becomes enthralled with this savage lifestyle and longs to remain in the jungle and even die there. When Marlow tries to get Mr. Kurtz to leave the station, Mr. Kurtz dies on the inside. His Utopian, wild, native life has been ruined. He has been thrown back into the dystopian society of Europe. The "white" people have ruined the Utopian societies of the jungle. They bring greed and slavery into a world that did not know such things. A dystopian society is thrust upon the natives and Mr. Kurtz (who has practically become a native himself).
This was a very interesting book and overall it was very intriguing. It was a very difficult book to read, however. The wording was complicated at times and often the narrator, Marlow, went off on rants that would continue for pages and pages. If the storyline had been uninterrupted by these rants, the book would have been a lot better. This is definitely not a book you want to read for relaxation purposes, it takes a lot of thinking! Perhaps someone a little older would enjoy it more than I did.
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bring back the infamous Mr. Kurtz. Kurtz is a mysterious but highly intelligent man who somehow brings in boatloads of Ivory for the company. Marlow must embark on his journey to find Kurtz, to see if he's still alive, and perhaps unravel some of his secrets.One of the main characters, Mr. Kurtz, has embodied the idea of a Utopian society. He is perfectly happy living in the jungle with no other people from the civilized world. He prefers to make friends with the natives and spend his time digging up fossilized ivory. He becomes enthralled with this savage lifestyle and longs to remain in the jungle and even die there. When Marlow tries to get Mr. Kurtz to leave the station, Mr. Kurtz dies on the inside. His Utopian, wild, native life has been ruined. He has been thrown back into the dystopian society of Europe. The "white" people have ruined the Utopian societies of the jungle. They bring greed and slavery into a world that did not know such things. A dystopian society is thrust upon the natives and Mr. Kurtz (who has practically become a native himself).
This was a very interesting book and overall it was very intriguing. It was a very difficult book to read, however. The wording was complicated at times and often the narrator, Marlow, went off on rants that would continue for pages and pages. If the storyline had been uninterrupted by these rants, the book would have been a lot better. This is definitely not a book you want to read for relaxation purposes, it takes a lot of thinking! Perhaps someone a little older would enjoy it more than I did.
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LibraryThing member endersreads
Heart of Darkness deals with Marlowe's commandant of the "Nellie", which is transporting ivory downriver on the Congo. The environment is dark and foreign. Marlowe is a civilized man amongst savagery. He contemplates society and the darkness that pervades his own country. He hears from the men who
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have found work in this strange land of an enlightened man--Kurtz--who turns out to be not at all what is expected. I won't ruin it for you.The Secret Sharer tells of an unamed Captain given a boat and crew of whom he is totally unfamiliar. During their journey the Captain secretly takes on a nude swimmer whom he finds in the water at night. He comes to understand the man's questionable past, yet he places himself in the man's place and becomes his aide. Both novellas are deemed to be autobiographical. Conrad's prose is able to capture our imaginations so that we share in his strange watery adventures. His musings are philosophical, entertaining, and amazingly apt. Show Less
LibraryThing member boltgirl
Wow. Apocalypse Now was so much more riveting. I actually gave up on this one about 20 pages shy of the end. I think the crazy guy dies at the end. I hope the steamboat sinks on the way back down the river. Paragraph breaks are your friend, Joseph Conrad.
LibraryThing member nycbookgirl
The introduction is really interesting. I did not know Joseph Conrad...a great "English" writer was really Polish. His name is really Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski. Wow, huh? That and he didn't really learn the English language until he was twenty. His books, well at least these two, have real
Heart of Darkness
Published in 1902, Heart of Darkness begins the story on a ship leaving London. Marlow, one of the English passengers on the ship tells a story of when he was a Captain of a boat in the Congo doing Ivory trading. He is given the task of going down the Congo River to retrieve a fellow ivory trader, Kurtz, who has quite the reputation in the region.
While the writing is very very wordy (the introduction even notes that), the imagery is very strong. He depicts the horrible conditions of the slaves in the area. And when he finally does meet Kurtz, the absolute lack of humanity in him is just...well plain scary. And that's when it gets sort of into the psychological aspect of the story. I mean Kurtz is a horrible trader who will do anything to get more ivory. I mean the guy has heads on stakes around his place. Just as a warning. But Kurtz has presence. Just pure evil genius. And Marlow actually starts to admire him. Not admire what he does or did but just the genius of it all. It really confronts that idea of the ability of everyone to be or do evil. Kind of like in World War II...how do regular people end up doing horrific things? Even the title of the story, Heart of Darkness is a psychological twist. Africa used to be called the "Dark Continent" but it's really about the darkness of the human heart.
The Secret Sharer
This short story, published in 1910, was a bit more straight forward than Heart of Darkness but still pretty good. The story is about a newbie Captain of a ship. He really hasn't gotten to know his crew or his ship. While he on watch during the night, he finds a naked man hanging onto the ladder of his ship in the water. He takes the man on board, hides him in his cabin, and learns his story. The man is named Leggatt and is from the ship, Sephora, which is nearby. During a horrible storm, Leggatt, in a fit of rage, killed a fellow shipmate because Leggatt thought the shipmate was being lax in his duties. He escaped punishment by diving in the water, feigning drowning and hiding.
So the Captain actually sides with this guy! He hides him, lies to his crew, and lies to the Sephora Captain. He even goes as far as to call this guy "his other self"...I mean he really identifies more with this murderer than with anyone else. Kind of crazy.
Conclusion:
I'll have to read more Joseph Conrad. I love the psychological/moral twist in these stories. They really make me ponder things long after I've read them. And I love that Joseph Conrad actually went to these places since he worked in the French and British Merchant Navies. It makes me wonder how much of his stories he took from real life...which is kind of scary.
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moral and psychological undertones. I love that.Heart of Darkness
Published in 1902, Heart of Darkness begins the story on a ship leaving London. Marlow, one of the English passengers on the ship tells a story of when he was a Captain of a boat in the Congo doing Ivory trading. He is given the task of going down the Congo River to retrieve a fellow ivory trader, Kurtz, who has quite the reputation in the region.
While the writing is very very wordy (the introduction even notes that), the imagery is very strong. He depicts the horrible conditions of the slaves in the area. And when he finally does meet Kurtz, the absolute lack of humanity in him is just...well plain scary. And that's when it gets sort of into the psychological aspect of the story. I mean Kurtz is a horrible trader who will do anything to get more ivory. I mean the guy has heads on stakes around his place. Just as a warning. But Kurtz has presence. Just pure evil genius. And Marlow actually starts to admire him. Not admire what he does or did but just the genius of it all. It really confronts that idea of the ability of everyone to be or do evil. Kind of like in World War II...how do regular people end up doing horrific things? Even the title of the story, Heart of Darkness is a psychological twist. Africa used to be called the "Dark Continent" but it's really about the darkness of the human heart.
The Secret Sharer
This short story, published in 1910, was a bit more straight forward than Heart of Darkness but still pretty good. The story is about a newbie Captain of a ship. He really hasn't gotten to know his crew or his ship. While he on watch during the night, he finds a naked man hanging onto the ladder of his ship in the water. He takes the man on board, hides him in his cabin, and learns his story. The man is named Leggatt and is from the ship, Sephora, which is nearby. During a horrible storm, Leggatt, in a fit of rage, killed a fellow shipmate because Leggatt thought the shipmate was being lax in his duties. He escaped punishment by diving in the water, feigning drowning and hiding.
So the Captain actually sides with this guy! He hides him, lies to his crew, and lies to the Sephora Captain. He even goes as far as to call this guy "his other self"...I mean he really identifies more with this murderer than with anyone else. Kind of crazy.
Conclusion:
I'll have to read more Joseph Conrad. I love the psychological/moral twist in these stories. They really make me ponder things long after I've read them. And I love that Joseph Conrad actually went to these places since he worked in the French and British Merchant Navies. It makes me wonder how much of his stories he took from real life...which is kind of scary.
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LibraryThing member wpschlitz
I tried reading Heart of Darkness 3 times before I finally got more than 5 pages into it without giving up. You definitely need to be in the right head space to get through this dense dense story, but it's well worth it. Beautiful imagery and really gets into your brain for a while. I think I'll
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need to read it again soon. Show Less
LibraryThing member opppi
I liked it. And I thought Achebe went way too far in trying to find racism in it. Frankly, it’s an unnecessary mar on an otherwise beautiful example of modernism.
Still, Apocalypse Now was better.
Still, Apocalypse Now was better.
LibraryThing member conformer
Conrad's Heart Of Darkness, while a very short novel, (it barely breaks the hundred-page mark) is so concentrated as to tax the reader from tearing through it. Less of a travelogue of one man's journey into the jungle to retrieve another, and more of an analysis of the title's black center that
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exists in all of us. Not exactly a beach book. Show Less
LibraryThing member LeslitGS
This is the first piece of Literature I have ever read by Joseph Conrad, an author I've been meaning to pick up since, oh, probably sixth or seventh grade when he was mentioned in another book I was reading (don't remember what now).
The Secret Sharer is the first-person narrative of a new Captain
Normally I am not a fan of first-person narratives, the excessive and exclusive use of the pronoun 'I' tends to bother me deeply. This short story (novella?), however, manages to not be grating as such. First of all, the focus is largely on the Captain's 'double' as he told his story and they decided what was to be done with him. Somehow, though not necessarily an easy read, I was perpetually engaged by the story. Much of it was back story and interpersonal; nothing was outstandingly witty or terrifying. It was entirely straightforward and simple. Perhaps I am a reader that puts myself into the text, absorbing it as part of my own consciousness. Or perhaps it is Conrad's style that I find to be absorbing. Who knows? I plan to read Heart of Darkness in the very near future, so maybe I can decide then. For now, I will end with a heart-felt recomendation. The Secret Sharer is good stuff.
The Secret Sharer is the first-person narrative of a new Captain
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as he comes across a man floating in the water next to his ship. He brings the man on board, clothes him and hides him, until the man (the captain's 'double') drives the Captain to distraction. This would be longer, but I would probably end up giving away plot which would be unfortunate...and the story was only about sixty pages long. Normally I am not a fan of first-person narratives, the excessive and exclusive use of the pronoun 'I' tends to bother me deeply. This short story (novella?), however, manages to not be grating as such. First of all, the focus is largely on the Captain's 'double' as he told his story and they decided what was to be done with him. Somehow, though not necessarily an easy read, I was perpetually engaged by the story. Much of it was back story and interpersonal; nothing was outstandingly witty or terrifying. It was entirely straightforward and simple. Perhaps I am a reader that puts myself into the text, absorbing it as part of my own consciousness. Or perhaps it is Conrad's style that I find to be absorbing. Who knows? I plan to read Heart of Darkness in the very near future, so maybe I can decide then. For now, I will end with a heart-felt recomendation. The Secret Sharer is good stuff.
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LibraryThing member glade1
These stories are two of those classics that I've heard about for years but never gotten around to reading. Now I finally have, and I can't say I've been missing too much. I began with Heart of Darkness, which is actually the second story in the volume, and it might have been better if I had
I had anticipated that Heart of Darkness would be more action-packed, but as the writer of the introduction points out, this tale is a look into psychological issues, not driven so much by history or plot. To be honest, I found it boring. I imagine it was groundbreaking when it was released, but there have certainly been other (and probably better - The Poisonwood Bible comes to mind) novels that looked at similar issues since then. I read that the story was somewhat autobiographical, and I understand that Conrad actually made that trek up the Congo, but there were certain aspects that didn't ring true to me. They are small details compared to the themes in the story but the distracted me. For example, the narrator keeps talking about the silence surrounding the humans in Africa, but I cannot imagine jungle and river and tropics without imagining lots of NOISE - birds, insects, and larger animals. Could it really have been silent? In addition, I found myself questioning the narrator's assumption that the Africans on the trek with him were cannibals. Perhaps those locals were, but I fear this was a stereotype designed to make them more alien. Small things, as I said, but somehow important to me as a reader.
There was much left unsaid in Heart of Darkness. The reader has to make assumptions about Kurtz and his actions, and I'm afraid I was in a bit of a muddle. Did he love the Africans and come to identify with them? Did he simply enjoy being idolized by them? Did he see them as human or less than human? What really was "the horror" he cried about at the end of his life? What were the events that led to the state in which Marlow found him? Difficult for me to say - and maybe that was the author's intention, or maybe I'm too far removed from that time and mindset to figure it out.
The Secret Sharer was an easier read but less interesting. The narrator makes much of his feeling that Leggatt is his twin self, and I suppose that is because he identified with the stowaway, but I didn't really see the big deal. If he believed the man and felt it best to help him, then that's great. If he agonized over the propriety of his decision, there is little to indicate it in the text. Again, perhaps there is too much time and distance from the life he describes for me to be able to identify.
I'm of course glad I have finally read these tales that have persisted for so long, and perhaps once I have spent more time mulling them over I will appreciate them more.
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started with The Secret Sharer, which is a bit more accessible if a little bland.I had anticipated that Heart of Darkness would be more action-packed, but as the writer of the introduction points out, this tale is a look into psychological issues, not driven so much by history or plot. To be honest, I found it boring. I imagine it was groundbreaking when it was released, but there have certainly been other (and probably better - The Poisonwood Bible comes to mind) novels that looked at similar issues since then. I read that the story was somewhat autobiographical, and I understand that Conrad actually made that trek up the Congo, but there were certain aspects that didn't ring true to me. They are small details compared to the themes in the story but the distracted me. For example, the narrator keeps talking about the silence surrounding the humans in Africa, but I cannot imagine jungle and river and tropics without imagining lots of NOISE - birds, insects, and larger animals. Could it really have been silent? In addition, I found myself questioning the narrator's assumption that the Africans on the trek with him were cannibals. Perhaps those locals were, but I fear this was a stereotype designed to make them more alien. Small things, as I said, but somehow important to me as a reader.
There was much left unsaid in Heart of Darkness. The reader has to make assumptions about Kurtz and his actions, and I'm afraid I was in a bit of a muddle. Did he love the Africans and come to identify with them? Did he simply enjoy being idolized by them? Did he see them as human or less than human? What really was "the horror" he cried about at the end of his life? What were the events that led to the state in which Marlow found him? Difficult for me to say - and maybe that was the author's intention, or maybe I'm too far removed from that time and mindset to figure it out.
The Secret Sharer was an easier read but less interesting. The narrator makes much of his feeling that Leggatt is his twin self, and I suppose that is because he identified with the stowaway, but I didn't really see the big deal. If he believed the man and felt it best to help him, then that's great. If he agonized over the propriety of his decision, there is little to indicate it in the text. Again, perhaps there is too much time and distance from the life he describes for me to be able to identify.
I'm of course glad I have finally read these tales that have persisted for so long, and perhaps once I have spent more time mulling them over I will appreciate them more.
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LibraryThing member bookwoman247
The madness of Mr. Kurtz in his isolated camp deep in the dark, ominous jungle of the Congo stood as a stark warning against European colonial aspirations at the time the book was written, and the superb writing helps it to remain relevant today.
LibraryThing member MarieAlt
When I picked it up in January, I got about half-way through Heart of Darkness and got nothing out of it. As I read, I could hardly tell what was going on.
This may have been because I wasn't paying attention.
Actually, that is exactly the reason. I was treating it like an assignment. When I picked
Interesting, mysterious, nice description. Worth reading, and at least I don't have to stare at it unread on my shelf, or regret owning it in the first place.
However, what is with the sky and sea welded together "without a joint"(paraphrased)? I liked it well enough in Heart of Darkness, but then it showed up again in The Secret Sharer and really stood out, for that reason alone.
This may have been because I wasn't paying attention.
Actually, that is exactly the reason. I was treating it like an assignment. When I picked
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up the book again, the second half of Heart of Darkness was far more interesting, and then The Secret Sharer was pretty cool too. I mean, the stories are a little odd, about somewhat odd characters. But once I finished The Secret Sharer, I went back and reread Heart of Darkness from the beginning and all in one go. That helped a lot. Interesting, mysterious, nice description. Worth reading, and at least I don't have to stare at it unread on my shelf, or regret owning it in the first place.
However, what is with the sky and sea welded together "without a joint"(paraphrased)? I liked it well enough in Heart of Darkness, but then it showed up again in The Secret Sharer and really stood out, for that reason alone.
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LibraryThing member Robert.Zimmermann
It'd say almost a 4 star for Heart of Darkness. And around a 3 star for The Secret Sharer, but on the low side of 3. There were both interesting reads but not the greatest that I've read from the "classics."
LibraryThing member JeaniaK
I like symbols and metaphors which is probably what I find so intriguing about Heart of Darkness. Every character (even the women who have minor parts but I would argue are major influences and drivers of the plot) as well as the setting can be read as symbolic for the social issues Conrad is
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trying to address. I agree that it is not easy to read because it is so rich with imagery and internal musings, and yet I would read it again and suspect I would find something new to like about it or that I missed before. The novella has a lot of layers and is an important example of social criticism that is still relevant today. Show Less
LibraryThing member LibroLindsay
It's been quite a while since I've read this book. Upon reading it again, I realize my memories of its events were somewhat inaccurate so it was nice to approach it with older eyes. What strikes me most this time around, moreso than when I read it the first time (which was more about contemplating
(and it still is pretty tense), I now find Marlow's final encounter with the "Intended" the most fascinating--that roiling anger of humoring someone when you consider to be sole the possessor of "true" knowledge. Good stuff. (PS--I acutally haven't read The Secret Sharer yet...bad English major!!)
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Kurtz's evil) is the stark racism, which isn't necessarily surprising given the time and culture in which it was written, but unnerving all the same. The book went faster this time around, and the evil didn't seem quite so breath-taking as it once did. While I used to find Marlow's long-awaited encounter with Kurtz the best part of the story (and it still is pretty tense), I now find Marlow's final encounter with the "Intended" the most fascinating--that roiling anger of humoring someone when you consider to be sole the possessor of "true" knowledge. Good stuff. (PS--I acutally haven't read The Secret Sharer yet...bad English major!!)
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LibraryThing member kvparker
This is a great standard for classical English literature collections. Dark, descriptive, and lathed with the racial prejudices of the period of European colonial expansion, this tale provides a vivid narrative of the Belgian occupation of the heart of Africa.
LibraryThing member Jeyra
Although they are never directly addressed, the wounds inflicted by Leopold's rape of the Congo are visible everywhere, and for that reason alone, it is worth reading. The whole journey into the darkness of the human soul, too, of course. Appropriate reading for anyone.
Subjects
Call number
FIC A4 Con