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lucius_gooseman 's review for:
Heart of Darkness
by Joseph Conrad
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
"The people had vanished. Mad terror had scattered them, men, women, and children, through the bush, and they had never returned. What became of the hens, I don't know either."
Conrad's Heart of Darkness has about the same appeal as a textbook— it's very dry and boring, and for being only 90-some pages, drags on and on incessantly. The most interesting aspect of the book is Mr. Kurtz, and he's only there for like three pages. Conrad also employs my least favorite 1800's trope in writing— having a character within the story recount the story to the narrator. This happened for like three chapters in Carmilla, and there I found it confusing. Here, it's the entire book. So sometimes when I start a paragraph and glance over the little apostrophe, I'm weirded out until I go back and reread. Maybe that's just a "me" problem, but I hate that kind of formatting. The prose, as some have called it, is more akin to a biology class handout than anything overtly literary. Conrad is a capable writer, but I do think this could have been tackled differently.
Those negatives still withstanding, this book is good. It's not just good, it's insanely readable. Because it has a sort of textbook vibe, you sort of feel like you're learning something— and what you're learning is a thinly veiled, scathing commentary on imperialism. You don't have to be a historian to know Conrad was shedding light on the deplorable Belgian Congo, with a semi-interesting plot to go across that torturous backdrop. The trip down the river is a horrifying one— but the terror starts before we even get on the water. Evil, greedy men in charge of a population of enslaved Congolese people (who are not painted in the best light), lying, pushing everyone to the furthest extreme, all for personal gain. Kurtz, who is somewhat of a villain, is ultimately a MacGuffin in the true search for more riches. His death, might I add, is one of the more haunting ones I've read. Chills! Heart of Darkness is endlessly nihilistic, too, and you know how I love a feel-bad book. Marlow enters with nothing, and leaves with less, becoming less of a human as he has seen and been party to the true evils of man.
In total, this book is kind of lame and exploitative. But it did inspire Apocalypse, Now so it has that going for it.
Conrad's Heart of Darkness has about the same appeal as a textbook— it's very dry and boring, and for being only 90-some pages, drags on and on incessantly. The most interesting aspect of the book is Mr. Kurtz, and he's only there for like three pages. Conrad also employs my least favorite 1800's trope in writing— having a character within the story recount the story to the narrator. This happened for like three chapters in Carmilla, and there I found it confusing. Here, it's the entire book. So sometimes when I start a paragraph and glance over the little apostrophe, I'm weirded out until I go back and reread. Maybe that's just a "me" problem, but I hate that kind of formatting. The prose, as some have called it, is more akin to a biology class handout than anything overtly literary. Conrad is a capable writer, but I do think this could have been tackled differently.
Those negatives still withstanding, this book is good. It's not just good, it's insanely readable. Because it has a sort of textbook vibe, you sort of feel like you're learning something— and what you're learning is a thinly veiled, scathing commentary on imperialism. You don't have to be a historian to know Conrad was shedding light on the deplorable Belgian Congo, with a semi-interesting plot to go across that torturous backdrop. The trip down the river is a horrifying one— but the terror starts before we even get on the water. Evil, greedy men in charge of a population of enslaved Congolese people (who are not painted in the best light), lying, pushing everyone to the furthest extreme, all for personal gain. Kurtz, who is somewhat of a villain, is ultimately a MacGuffin in the true search for more riches. His death, might I add, is one of the more haunting ones I've read. Chills! Heart of Darkness is endlessly nihilistic, too, and you know how I love a feel-bad book. Marlow enters with nothing, and leaves with less, becoming less of a human as he has seen and been party to the true evils of man.
In total, this book is kind of lame and exploitative. But it did inspire Apocalypse, Now so it has that going for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Colonisation
Moderate: Death