Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness: A CasebookGene M. Moore Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad's fictional account of a journey up the Congo river in 1890, raises important questions about colonialism and narrative theory. This casebook contains materials relevant to a deeper understanding of the origins and reception of this controversial text, including Conrad's own story "An Outpost of Progress," together with a little-known memoir by one of Conrad's oldest English friends, a brief history of the Congo Free State by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and a parody of Conrad by Max Beerbohm. A wide range of theoretical approaches are also represented, examining Conrad's text in terms of cultural, historical, textual, stylistic, narratological, post-colonial, feminist, and reader-response criticism. The volume concludes with an interview in which Conrad compares his adventures on the Congo with Mark Twain's experiences as a Mississippi pilot. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
An Outpost of Progress | 17 |
The Genealogy of the Myth of the Dark Continent | 43 |
From The Crime of the Congo | 89 |
Joseph Conrads First Cruise in the Nellie | 111 |
To the End of the Night | 125 |
The Typescript of The Heart of Darkness | 153 |
The Feast by Jsph Cnrd | 165 |
Conrads Impressionism | 169 |
Narratological Parallels in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness and Francis Ford Coppolas Apocalypse Now | 183 |
The Exclusion of the Intended from Secret Sharing in Conrads Heart of Darkness | 197 |
The African Response | 219 |
Jungle Fever | 243 |
A Chat with Joseph Conrad | 267 |
Suggested Reading | 277 |
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abolitionist Achebe Achebe's Apocalypse argues becomes Belgian British cannibalism Captain Carlier Chinua Chinua Achebe civilization colonial Congo Free Conrad's Heart Coppola critics culture Dark Continent Delcommune edited English essay Europe European expedition explorers F. R. Leavis fact fiction Heart of Darkness Henry high art holograph horror human Ian Watt imperialism imperialist impressionism impressionist Intended ivory Jessie Conrad Joseph Conrad journey Kayerts King Leopold Kinshasa Korzeniowski Kurtz land letter literary literature Livingstone London look Makola male man’s Marlow Matadi missionaries moral myth narrative narrator natives Nellie night Norman Sherry novel o’clock Outpost of Progress passage Poradowska Prester John races racist reading revised river Roi des Belges savage savagery seemed Shapiro slave trade slavery Stanley station steamer stereotypes story tale thought tion typed typescript Victorian voice Western wilderness Willard woman reader women words writes York Zdzisław Najder