Literatură engleză - Joseph Conrad - Heart of darkness

ALMOST A VOYAGE

THROUGH HISTORY, FICTION AND TRUTH PERCEPTIONS IN JOSEPH CONRAD’S HEART OF DARKNESS

I. SENTENCE OUTLINE:

1. Introduction:

Joseph Conrad’s writing treats issues like imperialism and its effects. In this paper I have tried to emphasis some of my points of view watching the main themes approached by the author, the main’s character transformations during one long voyage and the historical background which triggered a new symbolic novella where nothing is what it seems at first sight.

Another important issue is the symbol used for show the preference for the supernatural over real. Moreover, the history is combined with the fiction and the truth than all effects and aspects appear in high contrast.

2. Body: 2.1.: The conditions of writing the ’Heart of Darkness’: this part shows which was the background on which Joseph Conrad wrote the novella.

2.2: Two journeys: the second part of the paper shows the two kinds of voyage taken by the Captain Charlie Marlow

2.3.: Journey to Congo – outer journey of the Captain Marlow

2.4.: Consciousness ‘journey – inner journey in the subconscious of Marlow’s character

2.5.: History, fiction and truth: here is shown the background and the history which started the writing, what might be fiction and what might be true.

2.6.: Darkness: this is one of the symbols which occurs in the novella

2.7.: ‘The horror! The horror!’ - These are the last words of Kurtz, which only Marlow fully understand.

3. Conclusion:

In conclusion I think it is clear that Joseph Conrad succeeded to capture m any aspects of the corrupting power. ‘A clearer depiction of colonialism and its effects – there can also be found a greater degree of subjectivity (...) [his] concern was with the inner life of characters.’ (Carter, R. & McRae, J. 1997: 392-393)

II. ABSTRACT:

This paper presents the issue of one of the Joseph Conrad’s writings, ‘Heart of Darkness’, dealing with the idea of colonialism and imperialism, with the issue of the white men supremacy and the power which makes the man bad and mad. It is a corrupting power, a power which transforms human personality, which transforms a man, supposed to be civilized, into a savage. Moreover, the action’s place brings in front of reader’s eyes all these aspects in a high contrast. Another important feature of this paper is the observations which are made on the two kinds of journey made by the main character of the novella, Charlie Marlow, and the relevance of some symbols like darkness in the life experience of the same character. The paper also treats a part of Conrad’s theory and historical view on the period of the imperialism and great conquers of the Black Continent and the conditions in which ‘Heart of Darkness’ was written.

III. KEY WORDS: journey, slaves, darkness, human, character, transformation, life.

IV. Almost a voyage through history, fiction and truth perceptions in Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”

1. Joseph Conrad’s writing treats issues like imperialism and its effects. In this paper I have tried to emphasis some of my points of view watching the main themes approached by the author, the main’s character transformations during one long voyage and the historical background which triggered a new symbolic novella where nothing is what it seems at first sight.

Another important issue is the symbol used for show the preference for the supernatural over real. Moreover, the history is combined with the fiction and the truth than all effects and aspects appear in high contrast.

2.1: The conditions of writing the ’Heart of Darkness’

Joseph Conrad had a different view over the society and over all that means human being mostly after he saw many awful things. He wrote the novella ‘Heart of Darkness’ after Conrad himself was in a journey in many countries, including the African state. The novella is a way of saying things about a world that Conrad saw. ‘Joseph Conrad was another novelist who used the wider world beyond England as the setting for his explorations in character and motive. Conrad’s novel has a variety of locations which reflect his own extensive travels, mainly as a merchant seaman’ (Carter, R. & McRae, J. 1997: 406).

His writing can be included in the Symbolism because of the many symbols which occur during the actions. Other feature of the same novella would be the fact that it is a piece of work from colonial literature written in the manner of a frame story. One of the major characteristic is the preference of the symbolic over the real. ‘(...) he uses sea experience in remote places as a mean of exploring human characters and English codes of honour and loyalty in particular.’ (Carter, R. & McRae, J. 1997: 406).

‘Conrad’s themes merely develop, broaden, and open up in the larger world beyond the confirmed, masculine world of the ship’. (Carter, R. & McRae, J. 1997: 407).

2.2: Two journeys.

In this frame story there are two narrators. The first of them is not clear defined and has a small role in the story. Beside this, he is the ‘(...) shadowy narrator [who] describes Captain Marlow’s telling the story, some years after the events, to four solid citizens on a pleasure yawl [Nellie] in the Thames estuary one evening.’ (Bruccoli, M.J. & Layman, R. 1991:95)

The two journeys are represented by the voyage to Congo itself and the journey through Marlow’s consciousness. The two are combined because one influences other. The outer journey influences the inner one, because all the scenes that the character takes part make him to reflect on his life and make some changes on his consciousness.