Reviews

Heart of Darkness: (penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) by Joseph Conrad

sidharthvardhan's review against another edition

1.0

In Heart of Darkness, Conrad tells us about unnamed narrator, who tells us the story told to him by Marlow, who told him about Mr. Kurtz. Why would Conrad put so many layers between himself and Kurtz? You may call it moral distancing or whatever, I think it is simply distortion. The same thing goes for his prose. It is admirable how each additional adjective and adverb, and there are so many of them in here, serves to reduce the clarity of things.

And, why distortion? My theory is that he was trying too hard to make this story Gothic – oh! Look Africa, BE SCARED Oh look darkness, BE SCARED Oh the wilderness, BE SCARED! So mysterious, BE SCARED! Oh look black Africans with their black arms and legs, BE SCARED! Oh look sick Africans looking like black shadows, BE SCARED! Did you see I just used the word ‘black’ BE SCARED! Oh look darkness again, BE SCARED! Oh look, cannibals, BE SCARED! Oh look Kurtz’s mistress – so dark and look the wild way she mourns in, BE SCARED And if you still have doubts, just look at Kurtz’s last words – ‘the horror, the horror’.

In the end it leaves you with same feeling as an average cult horror movie with its long sequences of opening doors and chasing does – it leaves you yawning.

Anyways, in the beginning, the unnamed narrator says:

“that we knew we were fated, before the ebb began to run, to hear about one of Marlow’s inconclusive experiences.”

….. which is when if I had brains, I would have taken the clue and stopped. No, I had to read through this inconclusive *pauses looking around for a word and then suggests weakly* story.

Colonialism

In one of few clear moments, Marlow suggests:

"The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much."

And you are like wow, this guy is a genius to see through this but Marlow (Conrad?) realizes his mistake and conditions it quickly:

“"What redeems it is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretense but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea - something you can set up, and bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to."

Really, what idea? Patriotism? White man’s burden? Last time, I checked it was business profits, which is pretty selfish.

The night of First Ages

Marlow sees an African in his home environment, here are the first impressions of the continent and people:

“The earth seemed unearthly. We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there—there you could look at a thing monstrous and free. It was unearthly, and the men were—No, they were not inhuman. Well, you know, that was the worst of it—this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and leaped, and spun, and made horrid faces; but what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity—like yours—the thought of your remote kinship with this wild and passionate uproar. Ugly. Yes, it was ugly enough; but …”

Okay, First strike –shackled form of monster

Second strike – the ‘suspicion’ of their human? Really? ‘suspicion’?

Third strike –Ugly!

Since it was already three strikes, I stopped quoting – but Marlow goes on in great detail to tell you how weak this ‘suspicion’ is and how brave you have to be to admit all this and while also bringing in phrases like ‘the night of first ages' and then he shows you an ‘improved’ species who knows his job as fireman, improved? Really? Can you blame Achebe for not liking the novel?

Anyways, why is Marlow struggling so much with humanity of the guy? Racism? Obviously, but where did it begin? I mean it is not like he is ‘choosing’ to be racist, he already is – and seems to be struggling with it. No, his racism had its roots in other poorly formed notions - those of ‘progress’ of humanity, civilization and beauty.

And the paragraph is only one example, Achebe quotes a lot more of them in his essay. Anyone reading it should probably follow it with Achebe’s essay on it – it could be a great lesson in how deceptively racism works.

Now unlike Achebe, I won’t try to read Conrad in Marlow, but it means he is not going to get any good points either. May be, we wish to think, that Conrad made Marlow a detestable colonialist but, if you go around looking for it, there is an author’s note in which Conrad calls him gentleman.

Allegory

Somehow it is an allegory on good and evil. Mr. Kurtz had somehow fallen to evil and now has a ‘dark’ heart. What is this wrong he had done to fall? There are no apples here. The only out of ordinary act done by him is fooling Africans to worship him as a deity. If it is the evil that is being talked about, than Marlow had a point there. And how he suffers? I’m not sure – unless you are calling the act of living in Africa equal to suffering. He died a natural death after being worshiped by Africans for this long, I mean being worshiped can't be that bad.

Really, I’ve no idea about this allegory part, and it won’t come out well unless you are willing to interpret in a racist manner. (African mistress –dark, European mistress – light; Thames– good, congo-bad and so on.)

Another theory is that the book tries to show how much the colonialists and the black savages were similar, but it is still racist. Colonalists became savages because of their acts, but Africans are savage because of ... what? Their culture?

I'm sorry, it is too difficult to read it and not notice all those prejudices.

shelbymarie516's review against another edition

one of those must read classics that I honestly daydreamed through...

black_forest_ham's review against another edition

3.0

Mid

pastorjosh's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ashleydavies's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jellegraaf's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

7ft_rat's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

melmogle's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

michinio's review against another edition

4.0

რა თქმა უნდა კარგი იყო... მაგრამ Apocalypse Now-ს უყურეთ და დაგაინტერესათ იდეის ორიგინალი რამდენად უფრო ღრმა, ან ფართო, ან დატვირტული იქნებოდა - იმედგაცრუებულები დარჩებით - აქ იდეა სულ სხვაა. ჩემი აზრით კოპოლამ მოინდომა ამ ნოველიდან გამოეკვეთა რაღაც, როგორც როგორც ქვიდან ქანდაკებას გამოკვეთენ. მაგრამ პრობლემა ის მგონია, რომ კოპოლამ სცადა გამოეკვეთა ისეთი რამე, რაც თვითონ ქვაზე დიდია. ან უფრო სწორად ჩათვალა რომ უფრო დიდია.

თვითონ ნოველის ღირებულება ნამდვილად არის ატმოსფერო, რომელი მართლაც მუდმივად ბნელია, თუნდაც თაკარა მზე ანათებდეს შუა კონგოში. სულ დაძაბულობაა, სულ რაღაც შიში და მისტიკა და თითქოს ელოდები რომ ყოველი შემდეგი გვერდი კიდევ უფრო დაგძაბავს (და დაგაიტერესებს კიდეც). თუმცა კვანძი ისე იხსენება, რომ ვეც ხვდები საერთოდ იყო თუ არა რამე კვანძი.

მოკლედ - თვითონ კითხვის პროცესი ძალიან საინტერესოა, "მწერლის კალამი" მოქნილია და ეფექტური და თითქოს რაღაცას ტოვებს კიდეც წიგნი, მაგრამ ისეთს არაფერს, რომ მეორედ გადაკითხვა ღირდეს.

alconn's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-paced

4.0

Important, singular, necessary to read