![]() ![]() The point of my observations should be quite clear by now, namely that Joseph Conrad was a thoroughgoing racist. Heart of Darkness projects the image of Africa as “the other world,” the antithesis of Europe and therefore of civilization, a place where man’s vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality. In 1975, author Chinua Achebe analyzed Conrad’s portrayal of Africans in the book and accused Conrad and his novel of racism: Consequently, it has been a widely-taught classic that has influenced a host of literary writers and speculative fiction authors such as Michael Bishop, James Blish, Ian MacDonald, and Robert Silverberg, just to name a few. ![]() Many aspects of the book are nothing short of brilliant. The 1899 novel, rooted in Conrad’s own experiences as a merchant sailor on the Congo, vividly portrays the horrors of Belgian colonial rule over and exploitation of Africa. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad tells the story (via an unnamed narrator) of sailor Charles Marlow’s time as captain of an ivory-hauling steamboat along the Congo River. ![]()
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