Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (Book Analysis)

Unlock the more straightforward side of Heart of Darkness with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells the story of his experiences in one of the European colonies in Africa. As a young man, he travelled to the colony for work, where he met the ivory trader Kurtz, who had been driven mad by the unremittingly harsh climate and was ruling over the indigenous inhabitants as a bloodthirsty, god-like tyrant. Heart of Darkness’s exploration of the extreme brutality engendered by colonialism made it one of the most celebrated English-language works of the 19th century, although some later critics have accused Conrad himself of racism and imperialism in his depiction of the novella’s black characters. Conrad was born in what is now Ukraine in 1857, and much of his work was influenced by his experiences in the British navy, which took him all over the world, including to a number of European colonies.

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:

• A complete plot summary

• Character studies

• Key themes and symbols

• Questions for further reflection

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