Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

208 reviews

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Didn't have it in me to slog through all the depressing content. Maybe I will finish it another day

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challenging dark tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous dark sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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this is by far the most boring book that i have ever read, so boring and awful i didn’t even bother to finish it because it’s simply just so BAD. it’s just so lackluster to the point where i almost fell asleep while reading. it’s so bad that i don’t even want to continue reading it to try to find some “dEePeR mEaNiNg” behind it or the overall “message” of the book because whatever “meaning” this book might’ve had is completely overshadowed by the massive amount of racism that’s just sprinkled throughout the book, so i don’t even care to try to find what the meaning of this could possibly be because there’s just so much racism and bad writing in this that it’s too difficult for me to pay attention to what joseph conrad might be trying to say in this novella, like how in the world am i supposed to enjoy this book and figure out the meaning of it when almost every page has the n word in it. life’s way too short to read bad books so i’m not gonna finish it and i surely don’t plan on doing so like ever. 

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challenging dark informative reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

“The Horror! The Horror!”
These words from Kurtz summarize the impact of unrestrained brutality by European colonialists on the people and countries of the African continent. And the words summarize the self-assessment Kurtz offers of his own misshapen soul in light of the horrors he committed. Problematic today and to be read with a large grain of salt in terms of its racial politics, this novel’s prose still transports the reader into a powerful narrative dimension unlike much else I’ve read before. 

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: N/A
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I can't believe I finally finished it. It took me a week and a half to slog through the whole 100 pages of this. Surely we have other books to hold up as great examples of modernist literature that don't involve this much racist and sexist drivel. 

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dark tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book was difficult to read at points because of the racist attitudes and actions of many of the characters. I recognize it was a product of its time. But I am not of that time. The language was very evocative. The book is wonderfully written.

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