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3.03 AVERAGE
3.03 AVERAGE
I was curious about the book since it was at least part of the inspiration for Apocalypse Now. I've also seen it referenced many times before. But mostly, nerd that I am, I wanted to read it to see how it would work as a D&D adventure.
The most interesting part of the book was the flowery Victorian language. Conrad certainly does an admirable job of describing the surroundings and the people of that era and places.
The most interesting part of the book was the flowery Victorian language. Conrad certainly does an admirable job of describing the surroundings and the people of that era and places.
I came to Conrad late in life, by way of a collection titled The Eastern Stories, a Penguin Books India edition edited by [a: Ban Kah Choon|1014292|Ban Kah Choon|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]. I was reading everything I could about Southeast Asia. At that time, I had no special interest in Africa or in Conrad. I read [b: Lord Jim|12194|Lord Jim|Joseph Conrad|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1372366969s/12194.jpg|2578988] some time later. Two very notable differences between Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim are length (Darkness is surprisingly short; Jim somewhat tediously long) and the exposition of one character, important in both, but exponentially longer in Lord Jim.
I really love Conrad's language and style of writing. This struck me in many of the stories — especially "Karain: A Memory." Also true of Heart of Darkness. His intensity rivets my attention to the page (although not in the turgid "The End of the Tether," which I never finished). There's an intense discomfort, a sense of not being in control, being aware of things outside your frame of understanding and not being able even to fully see them. A feeling of danger, and menace. Most of all, it's a back-of-the-mind awareness that you don't know enough to know what the dangers are. That pervades Heart of Darkness, and it's what I admire most about it.
Heart of Darkness is hardly about Congo, or Africa, at all. This jungle could be any jungle, in South America or Borneo as easily as Congo. Of course that's why Apocalypse Now can put Kurtz in Vietnam and send Martin Sheen up the Mekong to find him. Now that I've finally read this, I'll need to rewatch Apocalypse Now (for probably the 10th time).
As in Apocalypse Now, Kurtz didn't interest me so much while I read Heart of Darkness. The sense of unseen menace fascinated me. The menace is inherent in Kurtz himself — it's not that his character has no part in it; he is the personification of that vaguely felt, deeply frightening threat to our central being. Who are we? What is a "savage"? What are we capable of? Is there in fact any line between them and us?
The "others" we meet (or simply see) when we go into the jungles of faraway lands are the same as us, and we are the same as them. I'm not sure Conrad ever realized he knew that. His racist views of Africans (and Malays) betray a European elitism of which all his travels apparently never cured him (like any seaman, for whom "a casual stroll or a casual spree on shore suffices to unfold for him the secret of a whole continent, and generally he finds the secret not worth knowing"). What I admire so much is that Conrad was able to convey the twisting, writhing conflict that grows out of that supposed dichotomy. The segment just before the boat arrives at Kurtz's compound derives its power, I think, from this unresolved conflict in Conrad's own heart.
The edition I read is "A Norton Critical Edition," 3rd edition, copyright 1988. According to the Introduction, there is a lot of variation among different editions of the text of Heart of Darkness. This 420-page volume includes many essays about the story and the author, as well as excerpts from Conrad's own letters. A real gem is "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness," by novelist [a: Chinua Achebe|8051|Chinua Achebe|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1294661664p2/8051.jpg].
I really love Conrad's language and style of writing. This struck me in many of the stories — especially "Karain: A Memory." Also true of Heart of Darkness. His intensity rivets my attention to the page (although not in the turgid "The End of the Tether," which I never finished). There's an intense discomfort, a sense of not being in control, being aware of things outside your frame of understanding and not being able even to fully see them. A feeling of danger, and menace. Most of all, it's a back-of-the-mind awareness that you don't know enough to know what the dangers are. That pervades Heart of Darkness, and it's what I admire most about it.
Heart of Darkness is hardly about Congo, or Africa, at all. This jungle could be any jungle, in South America or Borneo as easily as Congo. Of course that's why Apocalypse Now can put Kurtz in Vietnam and send Martin Sheen up the Mekong to find him. Now that I've finally read this, I'll need to rewatch Apocalypse Now (for probably the 10th time).
As in Apocalypse Now, Kurtz didn't interest me so much while I read Heart of Darkness. The sense of unseen menace fascinated me. The menace is inherent in Kurtz himself — it's not that his character has no part in it; he is the personification of that vaguely felt, deeply frightening threat to our central being. Who are we? What is a "savage"? What are we capable of? Is there in fact any line between them and us?
The "others" we meet (or simply see) when we go into the jungles of faraway lands are the same as us, and we are the same as them. I'm not sure Conrad ever realized he knew that. His racist views of Africans (and Malays) betray a European elitism of which all his travels apparently never cured him (like any seaman, for whom "a casual stroll or a casual spree on shore suffices to unfold for him the secret of a whole continent, and generally he finds the secret not worth knowing"). What I admire so much is that Conrad was able to convey the twisting, writhing conflict that grows out of that supposed dichotomy. The segment just before the boat arrives at Kurtz's compound derives its power, I think, from this unresolved conflict in Conrad's own heart.
"Your lost your way on that river as you would in a desert and butted all day long against shoals trying to find the channel till you thought yourself bewitched and cut off for ever from everything you had ever known once — somewhere — far away — in another existence perhaps."
The edition I read is "A Norton Critical Edition," 3rd edition, copyright 1988. According to the Introduction, there is a lot of variation among different editions of the text of Heart of Darkness. This 420-page volume includes many essays about the story and the author, as well as excerpts from Conrad's own letters. A real gem is "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness," by novelist [a: Chinua Achebe|8051|Chinua Achebe|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1294661664p2/8051.jpg].
I think Apocalypse Now is wonderful, but I just can't bring myself to like this book. I read it once in high school and again in college for different English classes, and maybe I would like it better now, but there are too many other books I want to read before I try rereading one I didn't like either time I read it.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read for my history class.
what the hell was this,,,,not only is it just a book of racism with absolutely no critique, it's just so boring good lord. i'm so glad to be done with this.
what the hell was this,,,,not only is it just a book of racism with absolutely no critique, it's just so boring good lord. i'm so glad to be done with this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The theme holds true today just as much as then. Didn’t feel like much of a story but mostly message.
Hiçbir salak şeytanla ruhu için pazarlığa oturmaz. Ya salak çok salaktır ya da şeytan çok fazla şeytanidir.
Hazmedilmesi kolay bir kitap değil aslında ama bir kez içine girdiğinizde insan ruhunun derinliklerine yolculuk ediyorsunuz. Marlow'un aldığı karar sonrası buharlı gemiyle çıktığı nehir yolculuğu boyunca aklından geçenler, ruhunda Kurtz'u koyduğu yer ve sonrası...
Psikolojik analiz seviyorsanız insan ruhunun karanlığına yapacağınız yolculuk için iyi bir rehber olacaktır.
Hazmedilmesi kolay bir kitap değil aslında ama bir kez içine girdiğinizde insan ruhunun derinliklerine yolculuk ediyorsunuz. Marlow'un aldığı karar sonrası buharlı gemiyle çıktığı nehir yolculuğu boyunca aklından geçenler, ruhunda Kurtz'u koyduğu yer ve sonrası...
Psikolojik analiz seviyorsanız insan ruhunun karanlığına yapacağınız yolculuk için iyi bir rehber olacaktır.