1. Heart of Darkness

2. Joseph Conrad As a child, Conrad dreamed of sailing the high seas. His fascination with the unknown reportedly led his to put his finger on a blank spot in the middle of a map of Africa and declare, “When I grow up, I will go there.”

3. Joseph Conrad—Biographical Info born in 1857 the only child of aristocratic Polish couple when Poland was a part of the Russian empire To avoid being drafted into the Russian army, he fled first to France and then to England

4. Learned English at age 20 Entered Merchant Marine to continue a career at sea Within a few years became a British citizen and obtained the rank of captain

5. transferred onto a Congo River steamer as an employee of a Belgian colonial trading company that was exploiting the Upper Congo for raw materials, particularly ivory and rubber diaries and journals became the basis for Heart of Darkness

6. returned to England to recover his strength after health weakened in Africa continued writing, publishing multiple works, including Heart of Darkness first published in 1899 in serial form in a magazine later published as a novel in 1902

7. Imperialism Except for brief intervals when people reacted against imperialism, the history of Europe between the 15th and the 20th centuries is strongly influenced by the expansionism of England, France, etc., as well as by their determination to build empires overseas.

8. Imperialism vindicated on moral grounds, particularly by missionaries. a means of liberating peoples from tyrannical rule or of bringing them the blessings of the Christian religion and of a superior civilization British felt it their duty to bring civilization to the non-white populations they governed

9. Imperialism supporters of imperialism did not see it as a means of domination or exploitation Conrad became very aware of the contradictions between the goals of greed and bringing culture, education, and scientific enlightenment to the native peoples His work was in part an effort to make people aware of the problems and contradictions of colonialism

10. Imperialism Prior to the late 19 th -century, much of Africa had escaped European colonization. The competition for territorial control between 1880 and 1914 became known as “the scramble for Africa.” Rules for this scramble were established at a conference in Berlin in 1884. European powers divided the continent into different spheres of influence and control.

11. Congo In 1875 less than one-tenth of Africa had been turned into European colonies. By 1895 only one-tenth was not under European control.

12. King Leopold II  At the Berlin conference, Belgium’s King Leopold II was granted the “Congo Free State,” an area 80 times the size of Belgium, as his personal property.  He ruled it through a corporation from 1885-1908.

13. King Leopold II  forced labor—any Africans who refused were designated “criminals”  amassed a huge personal fortune by exploiting the Congo

14. King Leopold II  During the twenty years that King Leopold controlled the company, in which he owned half the stock, an estimated five million people in the Congo died at the hands of company agents, who terrorized and killed Africans who failed to meet their rubber quotas.

15. King Leopold II  A reform movement sparked by Heart of Darkness and eyewitness reports helped break Leopold’s power  Great Britain, with U.S. aid, pressured Belgium to annex the Congo state and to redress the unbelievable atrocities  area became part of Belgium in 1908

16. King Leopold II  Leopold died unrepentant, convinced to the end that he had, through the force of his own will, brought civilization to the Congo. And even to this day Leopold is respected in Belgium with monuments continuing to be erected in his honor.  The Congo would not see independence until the middle of the 20th Century.

17. Humanitarianism a 19th century movement concerned with human welfare, philanthropic activities and social reform, supported imperialism and sometimes exerted sufficient pressure to turn colonial concessions into enlightened centers, reacted against it when it turned out to be mere exploitation.

18. Humanitarianism disillusionment prevailed by the end of the 19 th century as a result of the discrepancy between humanitarian ideals and the reality of colonial exploitation.

19. More Background In A.D. 43, Roman armies invaded and conquered most of the area that was later known as England. The area remained under Roman control until about 400. The Romans, who had already built a vast empire, considered themselves superior to the “uncivilized” Celts who inhabited the region.

20. Themes  based on actual facts and personal experience.  the "vilest scramble for loot that ever disfigured the history of human conscience."

21. Themes  presents colonialism not as a political and economic venture only  consequence of the individual's lust for power and possessiveness  and an epitome of man's capacity for evil.

22. Themes Conrad’s view of the world was that there are dark, chaotic forces that continually threaten to destroy individuals and whole civilizations.  Only protection from this is the resolute steadfastness of men and reliance on each other no matter how hopeless the situation or how powerful the forces of darkness appears.  Entropy—tendency of all organized systems is toward dissolution and decay.

23. Themes  Some cannot face the true nature of darkness  If forced to confront the darkness, they would be destroyed  However, to truly understand the world, people must confront the true destructive heart of the universe, but this comes with great risk

24. The Apollonian and the Dionysian  Apollo—Greek god of light, associated with the sun; god of music, poetry, and prophecy, also the god of medicine, reason, and self-restraint  Dionysus—god of wine; associated with the moon, loss of control, lack of restraint. Born each year and attracted followers who drank wine, danced wildly, and went into frenzies as he played his flute. At the end of each year, in uncontrollable religious passion, they would rip him to pieces.

25. The Apollonian and the Dionysian  Thinkers and writers of the late 19 th and 20 th century used these two as a metaphor for the human condition and as a way to analyze literature.  Nietzsche and Freud—both thought these tendencies existed in each individual.

26. The Apollonian and the Dionysian  Everyone has capacity to understand consequences, to evaluate our potential actions, and to show self-restraint. We can respond to music or to a great painting.  But we also have the ability to let ourselves go, to lose all sense of self or responsibility in wild dancing, in loud music, or physical pleasures.  Characters in the novel demonstrate both possibilities.

27. Structure  framing narrative  time contemporary with the writing and publication of the novel—around the turn of the 20th century.  narration basically chronological

28. Structure and Narration Main narrator—Charlie Marlow, sailor  new technique—ambiguous narrator  represents how uncertain we must be of the words, actions, and motivations of others  telling a story to friends about time spent in the Congo as a steamboat captain

29. Structure and Narration 3 layers of narration  Conrad’s use of his own experiences in Africa, basis of character Marlow  narrator who is listening to Marlow’s story  Marlow—telling a story the meaning of which he does not fully understand

30. Structure and Narration  framing setting introduces important motifs:  sailing,  exploration,  imagery of light and darkness,  the contrast of "civilization" and "primitivism,"  and the contrast of appearance and reality.

31. It’s all about the journey Marlow has returned from his (archetypal) journey, so this implies that…? He has changed As you read listen for two voices: The naïve narrator who hasn’t yet faced the darkness The naïve narrator who hasn’t yet faced the darkness The one who speaks with undertones of knowledge and hindsight The one who speaks with undertones of knowledge and hindsight

32. The Quest  like a knight of the Round Table, Marlow sets off in search of strange adventures.  gradually acquires a grail, the mysterious Kurtz

33. Impressionism/ Post-Impressionism  characterized chiefly by concentration on the general impression produced by a scene or object and the use of unmixed primary colors and small strokes to simulate actual reflected light.  post-Impressionists continued using vivid colors, thick application of paint, distinctive brush strokes, and real-life subject matter but were more inclined to emphasize geometric forms, to distort form for expressive effect, and to use unnatural or arbitrary color.

34. Frans Hens 1856–1928 Belgian Isle of Mate BBA (Congo) 1887 Oil on wood panel The Private Collection of Freddie Booker-Carson and Simon Carson

35. Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin 1848 – 1903 French Palm Trees Martinique 1887 Oil on canvas

36. Paul Cézanne 1839 – 1906 French The House with Burst Walls, 1892-1894

37. Symbolism and Imagery  first symbolist novel in English  imagery  levels of meaning

38. Symbolism and Imagery  Imagery fittest instrument of the imagination—renders what was most essential in a human being.  “You must search the darkest corners of your heart, the most remote recesses of your brain, - you must search them for the image, for the glamour, for the right expression."  "I start with definite images."

39. Important images:  light/darkness  water/snake/river  religious  colors  nature  death  fire/smoke/fog  blindness

40. "Above all, I want to make you see." --Joseph Conrad