Heart of Darkness BackgroundBy Joseph Conrad

• “The Commissioner went away…In the many years in which he had toiled to bring civilization to different parts of Africa he had learned a number of things. In the book which he planned to write…he thought… The story of this man who had killed a messenger and hanged himself would make interesting reading. One could almost write a whole chapter on him. Perhaps not a whole chapter but a reasonable paragraph at any rate. He had already chosen the title of the book, after much thought: The Pacification of the Primitive Tribes of the Lower Niger.”

Joseph Conrad• Always dreamed of sailing

the high seas• Conrad grew up in Russian

controlled Poland. His mother and father died of TB leaving him in the care of relatives from the age of 12.

• He became a seaman in the British merchant marine and rose to the rank of captain.

• Heart of Darkness was published in 1898

• He wrote until his death in 1924 at age 66.

The Congo • In 1876, Belgian, led by King Leopold II, took over the Congo Free State.

• Leopold convinced the international community that he was involved in humanitarian and philanthropic work.

• In reality, the Congo Free State earned infamy due to the increasingly brutal mistreatment of the local peoples and plunder for natural resources.

Main CharactersCharlie Marlow Main narrator, captain of steamer up the

Congo River

Director of companies, lawyer, and accountant

Captain and passengers aboard the Nellie, anchored on the Thames River outside of London who listen to Marlow’s story.

Unnamed listener Narrator of frame storyCompany accountant Company bookkeeper at coastal

settlement in Africa; of immaculate appearance and flawless work habits

Station Manager Company employee, manager of the Central Station

Station manager’s uncle Leader of the Eldorado Exploring Expedition, station manager's confidant

Kurtz Manager of the inner stationthe Intended Kurtz’s beloved, who lives in Europe

Setting• The novella is

based on Conrad’s actual experiences travelling up river on the Congo for the Belgian Company for Upper-Congo Commerce.

• The novella takes place in the Congo River basin in the summer of 1890, during a period when the colonization of Africa was at its peak.

SynopsisThe novella opens with a frame story in which an unnamed narrator and four companions aboard the Nellie are sailing on the Thames River. To pass the time, one of the men, Charlie Marlow, describes his experiences as a steamboat captain for a European trading company with outposts in Africa. The anonymous narrator occasionally intrudes on Marlow’s narrative and comment on it.

Synopsis continuedIn the story within the frame story, Marlow and the general manager of the trading company travel up the Congo River to see the head of the Inner Station, Kurtz, who is reportedly ill. Kurtz is the company’s most successful ivory trader and is thought to be “an emissary of pity and science and progress” – in short, an embodiment of the “noble cause” that the company ostensibly supports.

Story within a story• Heart of Darkness comprises two

stories. In the frame, or “outer” story, an unnamed narrator and four companions aboard the yawl Nellie are sailing on the Thames River.

• The narrator introduces Charlie Marlow, one of his companions on the vessel, who proceeds to tell the story of his experiences in the Congo.

• The unnamed narrator and the other men on bard occasionally comment on Marlow’s narrative.

• Marlow’s speech is set off by quotation marks; the unnamed narrator’s speech is not.

Recalling the Roman Empire•Marlow begins by discussing the Roman empire. • He is creating a parallel between his time and experiences in Africa and what the Romans felt when first coming to Europe• The Romans, who had already built a vast empire, considered themselves superior to the “uncivilized” Celts who inhabited the region.

What to focus on while reading• Annotate, annotate, annotate•What we learn of Kurtz in parts 1 and 2• Black and white imagery• Psychological changes in Marlow