Analysis of Joseph Conrad's Novel the Heart of Darkness - Essay Example

Abstract Joseph Conrad's novel The Heart of Darkness is a metaphor for the darkness and brutality that lies beneath the veneer of civilization. The novel explores this theme in the manner of a quest where the narrator is sent to find out what happened to a former employee of a trading company in Africa, a man named Kurtz. In this journey the narrator, who is by design an objective third party witness, little by little, retraces the the path of Kurtz into the heart of the Congo in Africa. Early in the 19th century this country was largely unexplored and to the white men who colonized it, it represented a way of life that they had long ago lost touch with. The story is interesting and timeless dealing as it does with timeless themes of corruption, and evil underlying all civilization. The novel explored the themes of the unexplored world. For all these reasons the novel has been re-made in many modern adaptations of literature and film. The subject holds great interest for me precisely because of the timeless nature of its themes and the way that it uses the techniques of geography and the unknown to illustrate its themes of corruption and the inherent savagery in all men. I have been interested in seeing how the theme re-occurs so often in modern film, television and literature. What is more interesting to me now is the way in which the themes of the story hold relevance in the modern age of Globlization. In todays shrinking world with the economic ties increasing, and communication in the age of the Internet, instantaneous, how Conrad's themes still hold relevance but are complicated by the modern understanding of the so-called unknown corners of the world. In such a scenario the unknown may be shifting to science fiction adaptations of the other unknown world or it may be exploring the dark recesses of the world we think we already know For my thesis I would like to consider the major themes that Conrad raised, namely the exploration of the savagery that lies at the heart of man and how the novel used the changes in geography to take the story through its stages of revelation – that is how the corruption of Kurtz occurred and how it is shown reflected in the increasing wildness of the setting of the novel. With an understanding of those ideas I would like to look at how those techniques were used in Apocalypse Now Francis Ford Coppola's brilliant modern adaptation of the novel, switching from the jungles of the Congo to the jungles of Vietnam during the war there. Finally I would like to comment on how globaliszation has changed the nature of the known world and how the new direction of motifs of Conrad's work may now find themselves represented in the future in science fiction stories or the revelation of the lurking corruption in the modern world. Annotated Bibliography Bloom, Harold, ed. Joseph Conrad''s Heart of Darkness. New York: Chelsea House, 1987. Questia. 25 Apr. 2006 . This was an interesting and useful book that coverd the many critical interpretations of Conrad's book. Written in a florid and immediate style that was interesting but at times a little to breathless to give a clear historical perspective on the Condrad's story. It was a great book to get a wealth of ideas on the many facets of Conrad's story. I was principally interested in how the geographical setting was used to parallel the slow descent into savagery. In this regard the information in this book was very good. Curran, Daniel. Guide to American Cinema, 1965-1995. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1998. Questia. 25 Apr. 2006 . This was more a resource book that gave me a sense of the production of the Film Apocalypse Now . As a reference book it served its purpose. It was written in a clear objective style. By way of reference it was also useful to put the film in the context of other films made in the period from 1965 to 1995; useful because it showed the great step in film making that Coppola took in making this film in a new way that employed sophisticated techniques not seen before and how he labored over the film over its lengthy shoot. Jameson, Fredric, and Masao Miyoshi, eds. The Cultures of Globalization. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1998. Questia. 25 Apr. 2006 . This was an academic book about the subject of Globalization. As an academic book it was a departure from the other books I examined. It was written in a dry academic style; while it was tedious at times it was authoritative and it raised many of the complex issues that the process of Globalization encompasses such as the transition of developing nations to developed status, the changes that international media bring to light and the problems of trade to name just a few of the topics raised. Kaplan, Carola M., Peter Mallios, and Andrea White, eds. Conrad in the Twenty-First Century: Contemporary Approaches and Perspectives. New York: Routledge, 2005. Questia. 25 Apr. 2006 . Another book of literary criticism of the novel Heart of Darkness. This book examined the story from the perspective of a number of critics and hence gained from having extra perspectives on the story. It explored the work from critics from other nations and thus it was useful in that it challenged the colonial presumptions of the book. The writing was interesting and informative and helped to put the themes in the perspective of a modern global outlook Leonard, Elisabeth Anne, ed. Into Darkness Peering: Race and Color in the Fantastic. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997. Questia. 25 Apr. 2006 . This book expanded on the ideas that I first encountered in the previous book, namely the idea that there was certain bias during the time of the writing of the book to use the expression of colors, notably racial expressions to illustrate primitive themes. I think it might be unfair to take the ideas of the book out of historical context and ascribe modern standards to the book but it does give an idea of the mindset of the audience for whom the book was first written Moore, Gene M. "Art of Darkness: Joseph Conrad Went to Africa in Search of Adventure. What He Found Ruined His Body but Made His Career." Book May-June 2003: 22+. Questia. 25 Apr. 2006 . A short useful article that showed the story of Conrad's writing of his novel . Written in an elegant journalistic style it is a good piece that describes well how Conrad's thirst for adventure led him to the life of a merchant marine sailor. It shows how he was able to be exposed to so many of the settings that allowed him to write his book and it also argues that the toll it took on his health contributed to making the writer he became, forcing him into retirement from the physical world and focus on writing. Phillips, Gene D. Conrad and Cinema: The Art of Adaptation. New York: Peter Lang, 1997. Questia. 25 Apr. 2006 . This book had an inviting title but did not do much to elaborate on the the Conrad story or the work of adaptation to a film version. I was drawn in the title but the author revised the story and in this it was somewhat useful to hear the story again through another persons voice but it did not do much to offer more critical insight. Stallman, R. W., ed. The Art of Joseph Conrad: A Critical Symposium. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 1960. Questia. 25 Apr. 2006 . This was a curious book. It did not offer a great deal of information on Conrad but what it did offer was idiosyncratic and interesting. The writing was of a fine quality and it was perhaps for this reason that I came away with a good opinion of the book . But as far as an elaboration of the theme of my thesis it was a little lacking. Read More