Topical/Historical Approach

By: Elizabeth Russell, Andrew Williams, and Amanda Johnson

What is the topical/historical approach?

This approach focuses on the details of the time period rather than the literature itself.

It primarily focuses on the background.

It answers three main questions. 1. When was the piece written? 2. What were the circumstances that

produced it? 3. How does it fit the author’s career?

When was it written?

Joseph Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness between 1898 and 1899.

Circumstances:

IN EUROPE--

During this time period, King Leopold II of Belgium was in reign. He was the king of the Belgians from 1865-1909.

Leopold founded the Association Internationale du Congo to explore the area.

He had an obsession with the idea of expanding his reign because he was in control of such a small country.

MAP

IN EUROPE-- DECLINE DUE TO MISTREATMENT-- Eventually, Great Britain with

help from the U.S. (president of the United States at the time was Benjamin Harrison) pressured Belgium to annex the Congo due to the atrocities and poor treatment of its inhabitants. Once the Congo was relinquished, it was put under control of Joseph Kasavubu and Patric Lumumba which eventually led to a power struggle between the two which lasted for many years.

IN EUROPE-- Henry Morton Stanley was

known for his travels around the Congo river basin. Once he returned to Belgium, King Leopold saw him as a tool to expand his colonial rule.

Stanley then returned to the Congo on a conquest for King Leopold. He convinced many of the illiterate and under educated Africans to sign over their land to the king in order to harvest the rubber in the area.

IN EUROPE-

The Congo was the only major colony owned by one man

Leopold’s army made up of the black Congonese under the rule of white generals took over the vast territory rapidly

Leopold’s rule of the Congo was extremely harsh.

His whole regime was handled with brute force.

IN EUROPE-- The company that hire’s

Marlow is a depiction of Leopold’s operation of the Congo.

Once Marlow reaches the Congo, he depicts the “faithless pilgrims” who represent Leopold’s agents

Leopold’s greed led him to systematically ravage the inhabitants of the Congo for nearly twenty years.

Map of Countries in Control:

Circumstances Cont:

IN AFRICA--

The colonization of Africa by Europe was the largest and fastest conquest of human beings in history.

By 1890, almost all of Africa had been settled and controlled by European nations, such as Belgium.

The Congo is found right in the middle of the African continent. It is the location for one of the bloodiest conquest in human history by the Belgian ruler Leopold II.

IN AFRICA--

Africans were forced by white imperialist to harvest rubber and ivory to send back to Europe. The rubber industry grew immensely and the market for rubber tires boomed.

Due to Leopold’s harsh rule, the death toll of natives is estimated somewhere between two and fifteen million people.

Conrad’s Career:

HOW CONRAD'S LIFE RELATES:

This story is based on Joseph Conrad’s trip to the Congo in 1890.

Marlow is a representation of Conrad himself. They both had the boyhood dream of going to discover Africa only to find that it was full of terror and brutality.

Conrad’s Career Cont.

While in the Congo, Conrad met many people who would have been able to play the part of Kurtz, but one man named Leon Rom got the part based on his actual home being surrounded by native’s heads.

Other Countries: Britain

British- Cape Colony Zimbabwe Botswana Kenya Egypt–

took over the Suez Canal

Sudan- cotton investments for textiles

Other Countries: France & Italy French– Algeria Tunis

Morocco

Madagascar

Somaliland Sudan West

Africa

Italians– Eritrea Part of

Somalia Tripoli

Other Countries: Germany & Portugal

Germans– Togo and Ghana Cameroon Nigeria Southwest Africa East Africa

Portuguese– Angola

Mozambique Interested in trans-

Atlantic slave trading.

Other Countries: Spain

Spanish– very few possessions

Tip of Morocco

Rio de Oro

Rio Muni

Many countries were interested in imperialism because they felt the need to expand their control to other lands, such as Africa. There was also a “scramble for colonies in Africa due to rubber, ivory, and gold.

Motives of other Countries:

European Motives for

Colonization

IndustrialRevolution

EuropeanNationalism Missionary

Activity

Military& NavalBases

Places toDumpUnwanted/Excess Popul.

Soc. & Eco.Opportunities

HumanitarianReasons

EuropeanRacism

Markets forFinishedGoods

Source forRawMaterials

SocialDarwinism

“WhiteMan’sBurden”

Sources:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/336654/Leopold-II

http://www.enotes.com/king-leopold-ii-congo-reference/king-leopold-ii-congo

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:8c_nqI2IPZ4J:orhs.eduhsd.k12.ca.us/staff/uploads/76_Imperialism%2520in%2520the%2520Congoreal.doc+Leopold's+imperialist&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESisW6d0OirOh_RbMKKUgvf6qAH4bEE9CQH1B4gzU0cCvzGDFvxPQY5SZxhI_kRCf2QhN9uL1UNx49jc5l9dJMYPVLyphTQltI8lEO-wJo4dsrJ_WIrzOfT0QwRj4TsWoZTpMhNu&sig=AHIEtbQQxD42lNck1qM8rW0-0_YeIntqCw

http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/sep1999/king-s06.shtml

http://www.marxists.org/archive/james-clr/works/1941/06/imperialism-africa.htm