Heart of Darkness

I view this book as a serious critique of imperialism. I will somehow have to find and read Chinua Achebe's famous lecture, "An Image of Africa: "Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'". I do not see this book as racist, rather, (and this may be wishful thinking on my part) I see it as a story with a main character (Marlow) being dragged out of his ignorant stupor and awakened to the horrors of imperialism and the racism it cannot exist without.

As far as the writing goes, Conrad is my man. Intense, unrelenting, and truly dark. One of the darkest books I've ever read. I was thinking of Lord of the Flies and Edgar Allan Poe a lot while reading this.

Ok, I will also admit that it was incredibly difficult to not think Apocalypse Now while reading this, it's such an awesome film, is it not?


The short story that accompanies Heart of Darkness is also incredible. "The Secret Sharer" is a bizarre and eerie story about a sea captain who, one night, encounters a man attempting to climb up the latter of his ship, subsequently discovering that the man is his doppelganger and also a murderer.

Plus they use the word "poop" a lot in the story (another word for the stern deck of a ship.)
Ah.. simple pleasures.

Joseph Conrad

 Here is a link to Chinua Achebe's Lecture: http://kirbyk.net/hod/image.of.africa.html

Here is a link to the Joseph Conrad Society: http://www.josephconradsociety.org/