Conrad’s Heart of Darkness Africa, Imperialism, and Conquest
Joseph Conrad • Born 1857 in Russianoccupied Poland • Patriot father & family exiled in 1862 • Both parents dead of illness by 1869 • Conservative uncle took him in
Conrad (Continued) • Joined French Merchant Marines in 1874 at age 16 • Kicked out due to nationality & suicide attempt • Joined British Merchant Marines in 1878 • Left the sea, began writing in 1894 • Died in 1924 • Buried in Canterbury
Real Life vs. Fiction F Conrad's personal crisis mirrors collective crisis F 1889 -90: Conrad goes to Congo & captains river steamboat to retrieve Klein F Trauma & illness haunt him the rest of his life FHOD: Marlow goes to Congo and captains river steamboat to retrieve Kurtz FTraumatized for life
Africa and Imperialism
The People of the Congo
Africa: the heart of darkness?
Africa: the heart of darkness?
Modernist Literature Style F "Narrative frame" - narrator tells story of another character telling a story F Marlow’s 1 st-person narration = “limited” omniscient [not all-knowing]: introspective, discontinuous, fragmented, suggestive/evocative, a-rational connections F Interior monologue, “stream of consciousness, " flash-forward/ flash-back F Associative (vs. linear) “logic” intertwines present awareness & memory