Helpful Score: 2
In this pair of literary voyages into the inner self, Joseph Conrad has written two of the most chilling disturbing, and noteworthy pieces of fiction of this century. Heart of Darkness, which first appeared in Blackwood's Magazine in 1902,makes a devastating comment on the corruptibility of humankind. Based on Conrad's own 1890 trip up the Congo river, the story is told by Marlow, the novelist's alter ego. It is a journey into darkness and horror-both literally, as the narrator descends into a sinister jungle landscape and metaphorically, as he witnesses the depths of moral depravity symbolized by agent Kurtz. Another voyage into self occurs in The Secret Sharer, the tale of a young sea captain's first command as he sails into the Gulf of Siam0and into an encounter with his "double" the Jungian shadow self of the unconscious mind.
Joseph Conrad boldly experimented with the novella and novel forms, filling his writing with the exotic places he himself had traveled, and concerned himself with honor, guilt, moral alienation, and expiation of sin. Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer encapsulate his literary achievements-his haunting portrayal of the dark side of man.
Joseph Conrad boldly experimented with the novella and novel forms, filling his writing with the exotic places he himself had traveled, and concerned himself with honor, guilt, moral alienation, and expiation of sin. Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer encapsulate his literary achievements-his haunting portrayal of the dark side of man.
This is supposed to be another classic but I hated this book. It was dark, dreary and depressing.
Weird, dark, timeless fiction. This has more darkness in it than any Clive Barker or Stephen King story, because theirs are fantasy violence like Killer Klowns...this is real violence, plausible and closer to reality than theirs.
I loved Heart of Darkness - have read 2-3 times in lifetime, and would definitely recommend it to someone looking for a challenging but short read.
Compelling, vivid, exotic, suspenseful, these are among the greatest short novels in the English language. "To make you hear, to make you feel, above all to make you see"- this was, first and last, the aim of Conrad.
They call them classics for a reason. This is the book that "Apocolypse Now" is based on. From the back of the book "The dark places of the human soul - this is the region that Conrad so brilliantly explores. HoD tells of the European, Kurtz, who reverts to saveagery in an isolated native trading post."
I read Heart of Darkness with my daughter as part of a literature reading assignment for high school. I found the language used in the novel to be very dense with long sentences and paragraphs. The story is told in a rather unique way with the narrator actually telling of a narration of another person, Marlow, about his experience as a river-boat captain in Africa. The story take place in the late 1800s in the Congo and is basically an anti-imperialist and anti-slavery work. It is also fundamentally an adventure story showing the perils of a journey into "darkest Africa."
From 1001 books you must read:
Charles Marlow tells a group of British friends about his journey into a part of central Africa which was then the private property of Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Marlow recalls the absurdities and atrocities which he witnessed: a Frnch warship shelling the continent, the cruel treatment of enslaved black laborers, and the remorseless rapacity of the white colonialists who are impelled by the desire for profits from ivory. He looks forward to meeting Mr. Kurtz, the greatly talented and idealistic European trader; but, when he reaches the dying adventure, he finds that the idealist has become deranged and depraved. The "heart of darkness" we learn, is not simply the jungle at the center of Africa; it is also the corrupt heart of Kurtz, and it may even be European imperialism itself..."
From 1001 books you must read:
Charles Marlow tells a group of British friends about his journey into a part of central Africa which was then the private property of Leopold II, King of the Belgians. Marlow recalls the absurdities and atrocities which he witnessed: a Frnch warship shelling the continent, the cruel treatment of enslaved black laborers, and the remorseless rapacity of the white colonialists who are impelled by the desire for profits from ivory. He looks forward to meeting Mr. Kurtz, the greatly talented and idealistic European trader; but, when he reaches the dying adventure, he finds that the idealist has become deranged and depraved. The "heart of darkness" we learn, is not simply the jungle at the center of Africa; it is also the corrupt heart of Kurtz, and it may even be European imperialism itself..."
Another classic.
Joan W. (justreadingabook) reviewed Heart of Darkness and the Secret Sharer on + 1728 more book reviews
Interesting stories and writing style. The writing style took some getting used to but then you got the rhythm of it and it flowed very well. Descriptive and alluring in the telling of two men in two different stories.
These are the kinds that make you think upon them well after you have finished.
These are the kinds that make you think upon them well after you have finished.
"Heart of Darkness" is a true story about Lion attacks in an African Village. Also a movie.
Great love story!
http://miasbooklist.blogspot.com/2006/12/heart-of-darkness-joseph-conrad.html
and
http://miasbooklist.blogspot.com/2007/09/secret-sharer-by-joseph-conrad-rating.html
and
http://miasbooklist.blogspot.com/2007/09/secret-sharer-by-joseph-conrad-rating.html
