Review: Heart of Darkness
Heart of Darkness
by Joseph Conrad
This book had been sitting on my shelf for more than 5 years. I bought this penguin classic version for like 4 bucks, tried (and failed) to read it on a few occasions through the years. So recently during a lull between some other books, I decided to give it another serious try. It was after all, only like 110 pages, how difficult could it be, right?
It actually was very difficult, to say the least. The yellowing book spent a long time on my desk (brought down from the shelf) after 2 pages, before I decide to finish it off last night.
It’s a hard book to read. Not only for the 1900 language, but the long and bulky narrative is cumbersome for those more unfamiliar with the style. It’s basically a monologue by the seaman Marlow recounting his adventure into deep Africa for a European trading company. A huge portion of the narrative focuses on two things – the mysterious Mr Kurtz, the legendary ivory hunter and the incivility of the African natives.
On the first point, Mr. Kurtz doesn’t make an entry until late into the book. But by then Marlow had heard so much of the corrupted yet revered man, compelling him to meet and understand Kurtz. I understand Mr. Kurtz is supposed to be symbolizing some profound yet depraved human condition here, but by then I didn’t really cared about the man or Marlow's self-absorbing rhetorics.
On the treatment of the natives, one has to understand the background of the book. I won’t go into that, but I think I am not alone in feeling uneasy throughout the book.
So now finally I have read ‘Heart of Darkness’. Was it any good for me? No, I can’t say I enjoyed it all.
In fact there were large portions of the text where I was asking ‘where is Conrad going with this?’ Frankly, I really felt there were many other so-called classics I could I have spent my time with, given at 100-pages, the disappointment was somewhat softened. OK, now I can start on another book.
If you liked this book, I recommend:
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
by Joseph Conrad
This book had been sitting on my shelf for more than 5 years. I bought this penguin classic version for like 4 bucks, tried (and failed) to read it on a few occasions through the years. So recently during a lull between some other books, I decided to give it another serious try. It was after all, only like 110 pages, how difficult could it be, right?
It actually was very difficult, to say the least. The yellowing book spent a long time on my desk (brought down from the shelf) after 2 pages, before I decide to finish it off last night.
It’s a hard book to read. Not only for the 1900 language, but the long and bulky narrative is cumbersome for those more unfamiliar with the style. It’s basically a monologue by the seaman Marlow recounting his adventure into deep Africa for a European trading company. A huge portion of the narrative focuses on two things – the mysterious Mr Kurtz, the legendary ivory hunter and the incivility of the African natives.
On the first point, Mr. Kurtz doesn’t make an entry until late into the book. But by then Marlow had heard so much of the corrupted yet revered man, compelling him to meet and understand Kurtz. I understand Mr. Kurtz is supposed to be symbolizing some profound yet depraved human condition here, but by then I didn’t really cared about the man or Marlow's self-absorbing rhetorics.
On the treatment of the natives, one has to understand the background of the book. I won’t go into that, but I think I am not alone in feeling uneasy throughout the book.
So now finally I have read ‘Heart of Darkness’. Was it any good for me? No, I can’t say I enjoyed it all.
In fact there were large portions of the text where I was asking ‘where is Conrad going with this?’ Frankly, I really felt there were many other so-called classics I could I have spent my time with, given at 100-pages, the disappointment was somewhat softened. OK, now I can start on another book.
If you liked this book, I recommend:
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
posted by Yoong Family at 11:12 am
6 Comments:
lord of the flies - the book has been on my shelf for ages.....hehe
my "HoD" and "LotF" are both sitting on the shelf for the past year or two. After reading the review donno whether I should attempt to read them or just move along to other books.
nyx & subsidi - for me Lord of the Flies was a very good book, very readable. but not HoD. in fact i don't mind rereading LotF, maybe do a parallel comparison with LOTR hehe... get a grip, simon!
According to Empire, Apocalypse Now was not the only movie made which was based on the book, so I guess it must have fascinated quite a number of people. I have not read the book, too, actually.
Maybe the story is an allegory for something?
i'm sure it was, but it totally escaped me. or maybe i was just in a rush to finish so i could satrt on gaiman's 'american gods'!
i've not watched apocalyse now. i bloody well need a DVD player, man...
heart of darkness is a definite must read. there may be better expositions about the colonial experience, but no better book when it comes to exploring the psychology of the modern vs. the brutal pre-modern. it's a brilliant, brilliant book, and if possible, should be read before watching apocalypse now, as the movie draws quite a bit from the book. some people have called the movie a reflection of the colonial mindset, in the way it portrays vietnamese people, but then again, this movie wasn't about thte vietnamese 'other'. it was about the white, colonial experience. this all the more pronounced if you watch the director's cut of the movie, with a very interesting scene/section when the protaganists meet some french colonialists on the... cambodian side i think (indochina). a must read, and a must watch :D
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