Background By Joseph Conrad The Commissioner went awayIn the many years in which he had toiled to bring civilization to different parts of Africa he had learned a number of things In the book which he planned to writehe thought The story of this man who had killed a messenger and ha ID: 433392
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Heart of Darkness Background
By Joseph ConradSlide2
“The Commissioner went away…In the many years in which he had toiled to bring civilization to different parts of Africa he had learned a number of things. In the book which he planned to write…he thought… The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph at any rate. He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought:
The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.
”Slide3
Joseph Conrad
Always dreamed of sailing the high seas
Conrad grew up in Russian controlled Poland. His mother and father died of TB leaving him in the care of relatives from the age of 12.
He became a seaman in the British merchant marine and rose to the rank of captain.
Heart of Darkness
was published in 1898He wrote until his death in 1924 at age 66.Slide4
The Congo
In 1876, Belgian, led by King Leopold II, took over the Congo Free State.
Leopold convinced the international community that he was involved in humanitarian and philanthropic work.
In reality, the Congo Free State earned infamy due to the increasingly brutal mistreatment of the local peoples and plunder for natural resources.Slide5Slide6Slide7Slide8
Main Characters
Charlie Marlow
Main narrator, captain of steamer up the Congo River
Director of companies, lawyer,
and accountant
Captain and passengers aboard the
Nellie,
anchored on the Thames River outside of London who listen to Marlow’s story.
Unnamed listener
Narrator of frame story
Company
accountant
Company bookkeeper
at coastal settlement in Africa; of immaculate appearance and flawless work habits
Station Manager
Company employee,
manager of the Central Station
Station manager’s uncle
Leader
of the Eldorado Exploring Expedition, station manager's confidant
Kurtz
Manager of the inner station
the Intended
Kurtz’s beloved, who lives in EuropeSlide9
Setting
The novella is based on Conrad’s actual experiences travelling up river on the Congo for the Belgian Company for Upper-Congo Commerce.
The novella takes place in the Congo River basin in the summer of 1890, during a period when the colonization of Africa was at its peak. Slide10
Synopsis
The novella opens with a frame story in which an unnamed narrator and four companions aboard the
Nellie are sailing on the Thames River. To pass the time, one of the men, Charlie Marlow, describes his experiences as a steamboat captain for a European trading company with outposts in Africa. The anonymous narrator occasionally intrudes on Marlow’s narrative and comment on it. Slide11
Synopsis continued
In the story within the frame story, Marlow and the general manager of the trading company travel up the Congo River to see the head of the Inner Station, Kurtz, who is reportedly ill. Kurtz is the company’s most successful ivory trader and is thought to be “an emissary of pity and science and progress” – in short, an embodiment of the “noble cause” that the company ostensibly supports.Slide12
Story within a story
Heart of Darkness comprises two stories. In the frame, or “outer” story, an unnamed narrator and four companions aboard the yawl
Nellie are sailing on the Thames River.
The narrator introduces Charlie Marlow, one of his companions on the vessel, who proceeds to tell the story of his experiences in the Congo.
The unnamed narrator and the other men on bard occasionally comment on Marlow’s narrative.
Marlow’s speech is set off by quotation marks; the unnamed narrator’s speech is not.Slide13
Recalling the Roman Empire
Marlow begins by discussing the Roman empire.
He is creating a parallel between his time and experiences in Africa and what the Romans felt when first coming to EuropeThe Romans, who had already built a vast empire, considered themselves superior to the “uncivilized” Celts who inhabited the region. Slide14
What to focus on while reading
Annotate, annotate, annotate
What we learn of Kurtz in parts 1 and 2Black and white imageryPsychological changes in MarlowSlide15Slide16Slide17Slide18Slide19