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For Tuesday: Conrad, Heart of Darkness, Parts I-II



NOTE: Remember, as I said in class (if you were there--I know some of you were traveling), this work is written squarely in the genocide of the Belgian Congo, and records many of the deeply racist views and language of the people who perpetrated these horrors. To a large extent, Marlowe (and maybe even Conrad) shares in this culture. So be prepared for some harsh views and language, and even the appearance of the n-word. 

Answer TWO of the following:

Q1: What does Marlowe mean when he tells his fellow sailors, at the beginning of the book, that "this also...has been one of the dark places of the earth" (Part I)? What does he mean by "dark," and how does his use of the word extend into the later passages of Part I and II? 

Q2: Since Heart of Darkness shares its basic structure with Frankenstein, how might Marlowe remind us a bit of Victor Frankenstein--or maybe the Creature? How does he record/respond to his surroundings in Africa? Does he seem like an 'innocent' brought face-to-face with monstrosity? Or is he himself already a bit mad, and he merely objects to other people's madness? 

Q3: Interstingly, Marlowe tells us that Kurtz had been educated in England and was half-English and half-French. Therefore, in more ways than one, "All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz" (Part II). Besides his geneology, what might this say about Kurtz as a man--and a madman? How is he very much a product of 19th century Europe, which we've seen in previous books (notably Frankenstein) and the paintings from Thursday (Munch's self-portraits)? 

Q4: What does Africa and the African natives seem to evoke for Marlowe as he goes deeper and deeper into his journey? How does he initially see them, and does this change from Part I into Part II? Consider a passage like this one in Part II: "and then suddenly, as though a veil had been removed from my eyes, I made out, deep in the tangled gloom, naked breasts, arms, legs, glaring eyes--the bush was swarming with human limbs in movement, glistening, of bronze colour." 

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