Jospeh ConradJospeh Conrad

Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness

The British EmpireThe British Empire

British ColonialismBritish Colonialism

► Economic penetration Economic penetration East Indies CompanyEast Indies Company

►Military supportMilitary support

► Control of local rulersControl of local rulers creating anglophile creating anglophile

classclass

JingoismJingoism

We don’t want to fight We don’t want to fight

but by Jingo that we do,but by Jingo that we do,

We’ve got the ships, We’ve got the ships,

we’ve got the men,we’ve got the men,

We’ve got the money, too!We’ve got the money, too!

Rudyard KiplingRudyard Kipling

The White Man’s BurdenThe White Man’s Burden

Take up the White Man’s burdenTake up the White Man’s burdenSend forth the best ye breedSend forth the best ye breed

Go bind your sons to exileGo bind your sons to exileTo serve your captive’s need;To serve your captive’s need;

To wait in heavy harnessTo wait in heavy harnessOn fluttered folk and wild –On fluttered folk and wild –

Your new-caught, sullen peoples,Your new-caught, sullen peoples,Half devil and half child.Half devil and half child.

French ColonialismFrench Colonialism

►Military occupationMilitary occupation

►Algeria is part of FranceAlgeria is part of France 1962: Liberation1962: Liberation 1.5 million dead1.5 million dead

Belgian ColonialismBelgian Colonialism

► King Leopold owner of King Leopold owner of Congo Congo (47 times the size of (47 times the size of Belgium)Belgium)

► Brutish treatment of Brutish treatment of nativesnatives

► 10 million dead (half of 10 million dead (half of the population)the population)

►Noble mission to develop civilizationNoble mission to develop civilization

►Fight sanguinary customsFight sanguinary customs

►Teach people to workTeach people to work Labour taxLabour tax

Josep ConradJosep Conrad

►Polish originPolish origin

►Sea captainSea captain

►1890: mission to Congo1890: mission to Congo

►1895: Almayer’s Folly 1895: Almayer’s Folly

Conrad’s exoticismConrad’s exoticism

►Not simply adventuresNot simply adventures

►Extreme situations and isolationExtreme situations and isolation

►Revelation of real nature of charactersRevelation of real nature of characters

Heart of DarknessHeart of Darkness(1902)(1902)

Anonymous narrator

On the Nellie

Marlow’s tale

Other stories

The ThamesThe Thames

““And this also,” said Marlow And this also,” said Marlow suddenly, suddenly,

““has been one of the has been one of the dark placesdark places of of the the

earth”earth”

The narratorThe narrator

►Non-omniscent = Partial knowledgeNon-omniscent = Partial knowledge (see Henry James) (see Henry James)

►Blanks in the narrativeBlanks in the narrative

►The reader must work out the The reader must work out the meaningsmeanings

““Unspeakable”Unspeakable”

► Conrad uses many words to point at what he Conrad uses many words to point at what he cannot communicate:cannot communicate:

UnimaginableUnimaginableInscrutableInscrutableNamelessNameless

► Impossibility to describe this realityImpossibility to describe this reality

► See Marlow and Kurtz’s IntendedSee Marlow and Kurtz’s Intended

MarlowMarlow

► Traditional hero: tough, honestTraditional hero: tough, honest

►Modern man: broken, weary, skepticalModern man: broken, weary, skeptical

► Intermediary position between Kurtz Intermediary position between Kurtz (primeval instincts) and the Company (primeval instincts) and the Company (society, rules)(society, rules)

► Knows the darkness but is not overwhelmedKnows the darkness but is not overwhelmed

►Destined to repeat his storyDestined to repeat his story

Marlow = Ancient MarinerMarlow = Ancient Mariner

► Similar narrative patternSimilar narrative pattern

► Extraordinary experienceExtraordinary experience

► Risks to dieRisks to die

► Acquires a knowledgeAcquires a knowledge

►Must tell his storyMust tell his story

A Journey into the selfA Journey into the self

►Who is a savage: the Company or Kurtz?Who is a savage: the Company or Kurtz?

►Marlow meets his primitive self (instinct)Marlow meets his primitive self (instinct)

►Kurtz finds the horror and cannot surviveKurtz finds the horror and cannot survive

The doubleThe double

►Many parallelsMany parallels and oppositionsand oppositions

Thames – Congo

Fog – darkness

Marlow - cannibals

Kurtz – Company

White – black

Light – darkness

Europe – Africa

Kurtz and Marlow: parallel or opposition?

KurtzKurtz

►Gifted but evil (see Faustus)Gifted but evil (see Faustus)

►Grandiose vs flabby devils of the Grandiose vs flabby devils of the CompanyCompany

►Empty, hollow (see Eliot: Empty, hollow (see Eliot: The Hollow The Hollow MenMen

“ “Mistah Kurtz – he dead!”)Mistah Kurtz – he dead!”)►Honest?Honest?

ImperialismImperialism

►Against hypocrisy of imperialismAgainst hypocrisy of imperialism

►Kurtz breaks loose from the Kurtz breaks loose from the conventionsconventions

No one will accept to understand himNo one will accept to understand him

►Colonies are just a backgroundColonies are just a background

Chinua Achebe on Chinua Achebe on Heart of Heart of DarknessDarkness

►““offensive and deplorable book”offensive and deplorable book”

►Does not provide good informationDoes not provide good information

►Africa is just a foil to EuropeAfrica is just a foil to Europe

Imperialism and MadnessImperialism and Madness

► Africa produces mental and physical Africa produces mental and physical disintegrationdisintegration

► Actions with no senseActions with no sense

► In isolation one is the only arbiter of one’s In isolation one is the only arbiter of one’s actionsactions

► Absolute power and fundamental fallibilityAbsolute power and fundamental fallibility

DarknessDarkness

►Brutality?Brutality?

► Instinct?Instinct?

nature vs. “nurture”nature vs. “nurture”

►Africa, London and Bruxelles are all Africa, London and Bruxelles are all gloomygloomy

ReferencesReferences

►http://www.cliffsnotes.comhttp://www.cliffsnotes.com

►http://www.sparknotes.comhttp://www.sparknotes.com