Fiction, 1899
I first read Heart of Darkness over a year ago. Since then, I have revisited it three times. Never before (and never since) have I felt physically assaulted by punctuation. Conrad slashes sentences with sharp blows of em dashes, drips river water through words with trailing ellipses, and cuts the reverie short with a full stop. It must also be noted that since reading it, I cannot–and will not–let go of my obsession with overused grammatical extensions.
The plot is a mere conduit for the real beauty of the novella, the language, to shine through. However, to pique your interest, I will say this: A man working for an ivory trading company recalls his journey through the Congo River and dutifully notes the mood of the places he encounters and draws a vague blur of locals he meets. Somewhere along the way, he hears of an enigmatic man named Kurtz. Homoeroticism in the face of colonial dehumanisation ensues.
Many people (including acclaimed writer Chinua Achebe) harshly criticise Heart of Darkness and see it as “deplorable” in its depiction of Africans. I completely agree, of course it is racist! The protagonist is a white colonising man. The racism and brutalisation of Africans that is painted seamlessly into the landscape is the point. How this realisation floats to the surface of his consciousness is the story. And what a wonderful buoyance it is.
Film: Apocalypse Now
Song: The End - The Doors
Plus this bonus treat!
P.S. The person to thank for introducing me to the novella (and for playing the intro scene in class) is Professor Harris.
What a marvellous post. I'm really enjoying this. Thank you!
of course it's racist exclamation mark, I love reading your words