Heart of DarknessHeart of Darkness is a short novel by Polish novelist Joseph Conrad, written as a frame narrative, about Charles Marlow’s life as an ivory transporter down the Congo River in Central Africa. The river is “a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land.” In the course of his travel in central Africa, Marlow becomes obsessed with Mr. Kurtz. The story is a complex exploration of the attitudes people hold on what constitutes a barbarian versus a civilized society and the attitudes on colonialism and racism that were part and parcel of European imperialism. Originally published as a three-part serial story, in Blackwood's Magazine, the novella Heart of Darkness has been variously published and translated into many languages. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Heart of Darkness one of the hundred best novels in English of the twentieth century. |
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Heart of Darkness: 'As Powerful a Condemnation of Imperialism as Has Ever ... Joseph Conrad No preview available - 2008 |
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appeared asked bank became began believe body bush chap clear coming course cried darkness dead death don't earth everything expected expression eyes face feeling feet fellow felt fire forest gave give glance gone grass hands head hear heard heart heavy human idea imagine immense ivory keep kind knew Kurtz land lifted light live looked lost manager meaning mind months moved murmured mystery never night once opened perhaps pilgrims reach remained remember rest river round savage seemed seen shadow ships shore short side silence slowly sometimes soul sound speak station steamboat steamer stood stopped stream suddenly talk tell thing thought took trade trees turned understand voice waiting wanted watched whisper whole wilderness woods