Heart Of Darkness

El corte de las páginas está pésimo

Wanted to reread this classic. It’s just as I remembered it.

as described

I was aware of the rough edges (they are deliberate - it's a quirk of the anglophone publishing industry to deem them as luxurious) and don't mind them, though they make page turning a bit of a struggle. But the printing quality was sub-par in my copy: a few pages were printed quite faintly and there was variation of ink intensity throughout. None one the pages were unreadable, but given that turning the pages was already going to be a chore, I wasn't willing to also accept the poor printing quality. So I returned the book.

Heart of Darkness is a definite read for college students studying literature like myself. I also see it capturing the attention of those studying history, but I only see minds matured over the easily-distracted age of fifteen making the most of this experience. Published in 1899 by Joseph Conrad, who was already known for his seafaring career which included travels to Africa, this realistic novel makes for an interesting conversation starter when peeking out of my satchel and therefore well-deserving of 4.9 stars! Conrad employs imagery and dialogue to convey the harsh reality of the times. He describes the death of a humanity corrupted by a deadly one, resulting in an elegiac reflection of his travels. In this novella, Charles Marlow sets sail on the Congo and finds himself searching for the mysterious Kurtz. During his travels, Marlow sees the brutal treatment of starved natives and encounters obstacles like a ship in need of fixing, an attack, and illness. Once Marlow finds Kurtz, Marlow finds himself holding more power and responsibility than the man he sought, much like the power of knowledge peeking out of my satchel and intimidating many. I enjoyed reading this book, despite the verbose descriptions interrupting the plot, a challenge I assume may hinder other readers. I also found myself often relating to Conrad’s strong curiosity. Conrad focuses on action as the key tool to develop his characters. Marlow is an authentic character, and the reader experiences all of his conflicting thoughts as he does. We are also given a mental image through Conrad’s characterization of a tired captain giving into his curiosity. Kurtz is also well described by other characters, thus revealing his extensive education and powerful nature, as well as his talents of painting and music. I can also easily relate to his multitalented nature, proven by the vast array of tools in my satchel. The plot is built on a predictable foundation with the details of mistreated natives learned from the average reader’s advanced history classes, but this novel adds a new dimension to the textbook pages with intense and realistic imagery. The journey down the Congo sets the dangerous setting for interactions with natives and other workers, leading to an easily predictable ending of Marlow meeting Kurtz. However, Kurtz’s untimely death and Marlow’s untruthful delivery of his last words are unforeseen by readers other than myself. This novel is a heavy read and difficult to grasp because of the lack of humanity of all characterized. The native people are portrayed in a heavily critical manner in need of filtering by today’s standards, but like in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland, those who invade truly opt to make an area their own instead of integrating, also seen by the mistreatment of Native American tribes during the colonization of America. With all this in mind, I reiterate my strong recommendation of reading this timeless novel. Not only is it praiseworthy in the sense of capturing history in its true and brutal form, but it also has great literary merit, a reason why I will forever keep it peeking out from my satchel.