A review by esmefreeman
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

I don’t know how to rate this book- especially in terms of stars. Before reading I thought it was critical of the colonial ‘mission’, and I suppose of it’s time it was, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that it is awful to read in modern times. Konrad may have disapproved of the chaotic structuring of the colonial agents but he was still a raging racist and shouldn’t be platformed. I don’t think it’s helpful to read dehumanising descriptions of people when they are not presenting critically but rather constantly insisted upon. I think the plot was a vessel for some lofty prose and ruminations on life, as was popular with early 20th century writers. These instances of writing are at times beautiful but overshadowed by how horrible the story and descriptions of black people are.