Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad
Heart of Darkness - Free
1899

Joseph Conrad left Poland at sixteen to enlist as a sailor in order to see the world. This is evident in his writings as many of his stories have to do with sailing. He did not become fluent in English until his mid twenties and his writing style has a foreign sensibility. He was able to incorporate a tragic feelings into his English prose that had not been seen before. He is now widely considered one of the best English language writers.

Heart of Darkness is number 67 in the Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels. It is a novella originally published in three parts in Blackwood’s Magazine.

Marlow is the main character sent by the company to restore the company’s name by bringing back Kurtz. Marlow narrates most of the story. Kurtz has been down river in Africa trading for Ivory and he is giving the company a bad name. Marlow is appointed boat captain and goes down river to see what is happening. Conrad uses symbolism in the book to show man’s descent into savagery. As Marlow goes farther down river and time passes and gets darker he is getting closer to madness, closer to Kurtz.

The language in this book can be difficult at times. It has been called dense. But the language is not the only difficulty with this book. The themes and approach to imperialism have been points of discussion among literary scholars. Conrad at times is critical of imperialism.

“The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much.”

Yet, the book has been criticized for being a justification of imperialism. Chinua Achebe has written brilliant criticism of Heart of Darkness and even advocates that people not read this book. His novel Things Fall Apart is writing back to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. Conrad’s critique of imperialism has been challenged because the book can be seen as a justification for imperialism because it is can be read more as a warning. Conrad never gives voice to the africans in the book. He is warning against the shaming of europeans tactics and

“They were dying slowly--it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now,--nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom.”

While he seems to be sympathetic to their plight, he still only writes about the european’s plight. Conrad was writing in a very different time when just writing about imperialisms imperfection was a form of criticism. Conrad wrote a terrific novel that was years ahead of its time. It is considered to be a precursor to modern literature. Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart can be read as authors in conversation. They are often studied together in Modern Literature courses.

Francis Ford Coppola made a great movie adaptation of Heart of Darkness in 1979 called Apocalypse Now. It places the story in Vietnam and has Kurtz as a rogue Army Colonel.

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Animal Farm

George Orwell
Animal Farm - $7.92
1945

Animal Farm is a novella first published in 1945. This story is included in many best novel list including Time Magazine's top 100, number 31 in the Modern Library’s list of 100 best fiction, and is included in the encyclopedia of Great Books of the Western World.

Novella n. A short novel or long short story.

Animal Farm has also been banned in many countries around the world for numerous reasons, including anthropomorphism and anti-government propaganda. The story gives many human traits to the animals that revolt to take over the farm and is a critique of communism.

Anthropomorphism n. Attribution of human motivation, characteristics, or behavior to inanimate objects, animals, or natural phenomena.

Animal Farm is an allegory for the communist revolution in the Soviet Union. Orwell is using the story in Animal Farm to critique the communist socialist regime that had taken control of the Soviet Union.

Allegory n. A representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another.

It definitely helps to know some of the history of the Soviet Union and the rise and fall of communism to understand what Orwell is trying to say. The story is very entertaining but when you understand the satire being used you begin to understand the story and the moral in a more obvious way.

Satire n. The use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing,denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.

Because the story is teaching a moral or lesson that can be learned from the communism in the Soviet Union it can be considered a fable.

Fable n. A short story, typically with animals as characters, conveying a moral.

Orwell used many literary devices to criticize the communism in the Soviet Union and had a hard time finding a publisher. Since the Soviet Union was allied with Britain during WWII, the British publishers did not want to print a book that was critical of the Soviet Union.

Animal Farm is an allegory that follows the rise and fall of communism in the Soviet Union. The story uses the farm animals to tell the story of how the communist revolution came about and how it was corrupted by the leaders. The story is presented as being far fetched by the use of animals to represent the uprising of the people. The use of animals was also considered very offensive. Orwell uses pigs to represent the leaders of the revolution.

Animal Farm is very entertaining even though it is based on true events. Orwell does a great job with the satire to make this a must read for anyone interested in reading the classics. This book is taught in many high schools and universities. Their are two different film versions of the book. Download a free sample and see why everyone that reads this book agrees that it is one of the best novels ever written.

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