Heart of Darkness [Paperback]

 

 

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Conrad is among the most influential writers of our time, and his masterwork Heart of Darkness proves this. The concepts introduced in this book laid the groudwork for a new outlook on humanity, and his predictions to modern society, specifically the business world, are unparalleled. Read this book and it will give you a new view on the world.

Joseph Conrad is NOT for everyone! So many people have had their attention-span shortened by MTV, Television and the Disney version of the TITANIC (hint... the boat doesn't sink and everybody erupts in a unrecorded song from MARY POPPINS), that people have forgotten how great it is to read a well written book with piercing insite,memorable characters, and a haunting theme. The skill of the true wordsmith has thanklessly fallen by the wayside, evidenced by the fact that Stephen King is considered a literary genius (see H.P. Lovecraft for a true genius in both word and plot). If we were to turn off the electronics and allow our pure powers of imagination to work, then Conrad would be abundant treat to our senses. All of his books are fantastic, but HEART OF DARKNESS holds a special fascination for most people who read it. Not to digress, but the Turner Production of "Heart of Darkness" with Tim Roth is very good and I have always loved "Apocolypse Now" (saw it 15 times in the theater). The story is a journey of the soul, as much as it is pure adventure. It is a wake-up call for those who have forgotten what it is to care and become aware of how their lives move forward (and sometimes don't). The setting of a forgotten Africa, wedged and pierced by European superpowers is both mysterious and frightening. We see this now-lost land through the eyes of a naive man, not grounded nor necessarily wise in the ways of the world. The opening reference of the French warship bombarding the forrested coasts shows the overall blindness of the countries who seek to reap the wealth of the land's bounty... throwing artillery shells onto the coast and cannot see if they are hitting anything! The river and its trading stations connect the European desire for money and profit and the harsh reality of the Africa they cannot explain. The mission is to reach the elusive Kurtz, a brilliant mind and man who has been silenced. Now the Naive agent seeks the worldly-wise man who Africa has driven mad! What I loved about the journey is Conrad's ability to chronicle not only the countryside but the people who are drawn into this lust for ivory and money. In this case, the journey is the deal. What this edition gives us is a wonderful addition... Conrad's real-life experiences as the short-lived captain of a steam boat in the Congo. At the time, Conrad considered himself more of a sailor than a novelist, and his notations reflect the factual and relatively dull specifics of his duties. Still, one gets an acute sense of how his mind works and (later) how he turned these terse, and unexciting notes into possibly one of the greatest short stories in the history of the English Language. HEART OF DARKNESS can be a matter of patience. It does not move quickly, in places, but if one slows down and allows the story to stimulate, and inform, then it is time well spent! There is time for video stimulation (TV, VHS, etc) and there is time to find an overstuffed chair and allow the best film maker ever made, your own mind, to transport you to a place long burned away by commercial interests and "progress". Take the journey and let your soul speak back to you afterwards!

Heart of Darkness is a novel focused with strong imagery and the concepts of darkness and light as "darkness" is the heart of man while the "light" can be civilization as a whole. I found this book somewhat discriminating in the beginning but as a whole it has a very clear statement. I can see how it is one of the greatest novels but to me Marlow, the main character, has no character as he becomes obsessed with Kurtz and can instantly become him but does not. After finding what he is looking for, Marlow is still filled with the darkness. Even though I thought this book was somewhat interesting, I would not recommend it because I did not agree with Marlow's or maybe even Conrad's view of the Congo jungle and life in it with the darkness.

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