Reads: Heart Of Darkness

2:04 PM

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This book. I have read this book a total of three times in my life, all within the past four years. Each time it is such a struggle because it is incredibly well-written, but so very racist. However, each time I read it, short as it is, I tend to pick up something I missed the previous time. Also, the previous times I did read this book, it was required reading for school. I have mentioned before that reading a book again when it is not required of you has a different feel to it, and I still think that is very true.

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a short novel, presented as a frame narrative, about Charles Marlow's job as an ivory transporter down in the Congo river in Central Africa. During this commercial work, Marlow becomes obsessed with Mr. Kurtz, an Ivory-procurement agent, a man of established notoriety among the natives and the European colonies.  

The novel portrays how colonialism and racism made imperialism possible, and because is it a narrative, these themes are more shocking to the reader. I honestly think that this book is best read alongside Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, just to get another perspective of such a horrific them (who knows, maybe I would be a decent English professor, eh?) Again, reading something like this for recreational purposes always provokes my imagination even more. I always try to imagine reading it as a person would when it was first published and very controversial, makes for an interesting perspective.

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5 Musings

  1. Such a great review! I will confess..I have not read it.

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  2. Definitely sounds like a book I need to read. So glad you posted about it.

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  3. Oh, I'm so glad you read these kind of books and that you share them with us..=)

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  4. definitely sounds like a must read! 3 times! oh yes!
    http://www.averysweetblog.com/

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  5. This sounds incredibly thought-provoking. I love the short, novella format - sometimes the books that leave the greatest impact are just short and sweet {or short and thought-provoking}.

    xx

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Talk nerdy to me.