http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41JaFnzacAo

Heart of Darkness

By Joseph Conrad

Frame Narrative

Impressionism Ambiguous narrative style: reader must

interpret meaning Characters are experiencing and have not yet

processed situation An “emotional landscape” is depicted through

setting and imagery Like impressionistic paintings, focusing too

closely on specifics makes it difficult to see events clearly

Often avoids chronological telling of events

Wikipedia Definition:

The term Impressionism has also been used to describe works of literature in which a few select details suffice to convey the sensory impressions of an incident or scene. Impressionist literature is closely related to Symbolism, with its major exemplars being Baudelaire, Mallarmé, Rimbaud, and Verlaine. Authors such as Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, and Joseph Conrad have written works that are Impressionistic in the way that they describe, rather than interpret, the impressions, sensations and emotions that constitute a character‘s

mental life.

Present Setting

Chronological Order

As a boy Marlow is charmed by the river and map of Africa.

Becomes a Sailor

Unemployed

Aunt Gets Him a Job

Begins Journey

The Blank Spaces Are Filled In

Gets His Orders in Belgium

Congo River

Meets Influential People

Returns Home

Prophet/Wise Advisor

Reading Lens

Doppelganger or Alter Ego

   Meaning "double walker" a doppelganger is a shadow-self that accompanies every human

Symbols

Fog How does Fog

impact senses?

Symbols

Women List the women

Do they speak Names Representative of?

Symbols

The Congo River What is the

relationship with the white man?

Upstream vs. downstream

Kurtz and Marlow’s “handling” of the river influence

Symbols

Ivory How is ivory

representative of imperialism?

Symbols

The “Whited Sepulcher” Book of Matthew

allusion: “which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.”

Brussels is the Whited Sepulcher

STYLE

Diction and Syntax

Words, Words, WordsHeart of Darkness

The idleness of a passenger, my isolation amongst all these men with whom I had no point of contact, the oily and languid sea, the uniform somberness of the coast, seemed to keep me away from the truth of things, within the toil of a mournful and senseless delusion. The voice of the surf heard now and then was a positive pleasure, like the speech of a brother. It was something natural, that had its reason, that had a meaning.

Loose and Periodic Sentences

Marlow sat cross-legged right aft, leaning against the mizzenmast.

Marlow sat cross-legged right aft, leaning against the mizzenmast.

He had sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion, a straight back, an ascetic aspect, and with his arms dropped, the palms of hands outwards, resembled an idol

He had sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion, a straight back, an ascetic aspect, and with his arms dropped, the palms of hands outwards, resembled an idol.

Marlow sat cross-legged right aft, leaning against the mizzenmast.

Adverbial Phrases

Marlow sat cross-legged right aft, leaning against the mizzenmast.

He had sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion, a straight back, an ascetic aspect, and with his arms dropped, the palms of hands outwards, resembled an idol

Epithets or Adjective Phrases

He had sunken cheeks, a yellow complexion, a straight back, an ascetic aspect, and with his arms dropped, the palms of hands outwards, resembled an idol

Marlow’s first words about the Manager

My first interview with the manager was curious.

PERIODIC SENTENCE SIMPLE SENTENCE

He was commonplace in complexion, in feature, in manners, and in voice.

LOOSE SENTENCE SIMPLE SENTENCE

He had no learning and no intelligence.

PERIODIC SENTENCE

Once when various tropical diseases had laid low almost every ‘agent’ in the station, he was heard to say, ‘Men who come out here should have no entrails.’

But he was great.