Easy to tell but I'm a fan of this unendingly interesting novella. I'm curious about your initial reactions to the text- what struck you as interesting/odd, why do you think this novella is still relevant/widely discussed?
Eric brought up the historical context with England's pervading sense of inevitable decline. One of the reasons for this was the Sepoy rebellion of 1857- the same year of Conrad's birth. The rebellion took place in India where Britain had a large imperial presence and it rocked the contemporary idea that British imperialism was an overall positive agenda that was welcomed by the colonized and colonizers alike. This new fear that imperialism could come back to haunt the metropolis was the atmosphere that Conrad experienced in his life. How/does Heart of Darkness reflect this negative effect of imperialism on Britain and its citizens?
For those of you interested in this topic I recommend King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild. Great book about King Leopold's acquisition of the Congo and the impressive pr campaign he ran to disguise the exploitation of that region and its people. I'll be bringing in some info about Chinua Achebe's article "An Image of Africa" which condemns Conrad as "a thoroughgoing racist". Achebe also has a book of essays titled The Education of a British Protected Child that discusses his relationship with his children and his nation as well as the difficult position a Western educated African person finds themselves in. And of course his amazing novel Things Fall Apart.
I'm interested in the way Heart of Darkness has seeped into our cultural conscience and our discussion of the Thames makes me think of the Langston Hughes poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" as well as the Seinfeld spoof of "the horror, the horror" so I'm including both- enjoy!
The Negro Speaks of Rivers
I’ve known rivers:
I’ve known rivers ancient as the world and older than the
flow of human blood in human veins.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.
I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.
I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.
I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln
went down to New Orleans, and I’ve seen its muddy
bosom turn all golden in the sunset.
I’ve known rivers:
Ancient, dusky rivers.
My soul has grown deep like the rivers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7mr9F7kHMM
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ReplyDeleteThanks for the Langston Hughes poem, Brittani. The river is a strong symbol of human history and change (among many other things). Conrad's eloquent pros carries me through the narrative like the Congo. It seems I am as eager to get to the heart as Marlow is. Ironically, we're heading into darkness. Will we find any answers there? I'm sorry the important anti-colonial message is overshadowed by a perception of racist stereo-typing. I wonder what Langston Hughes thought of the novella?
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