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Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad

Edinburgh/London, 1899

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Literary Classic

Novel
Modernism

What It’s About

A Journey into the Darkest Abyss of the Human Heart

It’s with bated breath that the reader follows the brief but harrowing account of Charlie Marlow, who, in dense prose, recounts his journey up the Congo River and into the heart of Africa – and the “heart of darkness” – for it is also a journey into the dark places of the human soul. In the latter days of European colonialism, Marlow becomes the captain of a run-down steamer for a Belgian trading company. When he arrives in Africa, he hears rumors about a Mr. Kurtz, who reportedly lives (and rules) hundreds of miles upriver. Having a charismatic personality, Kurtz is the most successful trading agent of the company, delivering huge amounts of ivory. Overcoming much adversity, Marlow travels upriver to meet the man – an encounter that leaves a deep and lifelong mark on Marlow. Throughout the novel, author Joseph Conrad’s detailed and realistic description of the wilderness and cruel colonial rule stands in contrast to the narrative symbolism of the story. As white men confront a starkly depicted primeval world, Conrad evokes a dark and terrifying image of human nature and creates one of the bleakest narratives on European colonial rule in modern literature.

Summary

On a Yawl

On the banks of the Thames, on the outskirts of London, five old seafaring friends relax together on The Nellie – a cruising yawl – watching the sun set. One man, Charlie Marlow, sits at a distance from the others. The tranquil scenery of the river inspires the unnamed first-person narrator to ponder British seafaring history, when Marlow interrupts the companionable silence with the comment, “And this also has been one of the dark places of the Earth.” Marlow expands on the thought, explaining how the Romans, when they first came to Britain, would have found wilderness where London stands today. They had to conquer the land and then exploit it with brute force. These ruminations lead Marlow to start telling the others of one of his own travel experiences. The other men in the group know that, unlike the yarns of most seamen, Marlow’s tales have substance, and so they settle in to listen to his story.

Looking for an Appointment

As a child, Marlow was fascinated by maps. In those days, they still had blank spaces. The desire to explore them led him to join a trading company and become skipper of ...

About the Author

Joseph Conrad was born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski to Polish parents in Berdyczew, Ukraine, on December 3, 1857. Poland at that time was under czarist autocracy, and Conrad’s father was an activist in the fight against Russian rule. His activities led to the family being exiled to Russia. Conrad’s mother fell ill during their exile and died. When his father died in 1869, Conrad’s uncle took him in; the boy’s wish to go to sea appalled him. The uncle did everything to dissuade him but eventually gave in. In 1874, Conrad began his service in the French merchant navy. Soon after, he got involved in smuggling and, as a result, lost all his money. After a failed suicide attempt, he joined the British merchant navy and started a career as an officer. In 1886, he became a British citizen and received his Master’s certificate in the British merchant service. Three years later, he started writing his first novel, Almayer’s Folly, in English – his third language. A journey to the Congo turned into a traumatic event, and Conrad was horrified to discover how the colonialists treated the natives. The stress of the journey and the climate so severely affected his health that he had to return to England sooner than planned. He finished his first novel in 1894 and published it under the name Joseph Conrad, which he used from then on. The novel received positive reviews from the critics, and Conrad decided to settle in Kent with his wife, Jessie George, and become a writer. One of his most important works was the short novel Heart of Darkness (1899), in which he processed his experience of the Congo. Conrad died of heart failure on August 3, 1924.