The Meaning of Heart of Darkness in the Post-Colonial...

The Meaning of Heart of Darkness in the Post-Colonial Climate Since its publication in 1899, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness has rarely been disputed on the basis of its literary merits; in fact, it was long seen as one of the great novels of the burgeoning modern era, a sort of bridge between the values and storytelling styles of the waning Victorian period and those of the modern era (Gatten), and regarded a high-ranking space amidst the great literature of the century, if not the millennia (Mitchell 20). Conrad’s literary masterpiece manages references to other great literature, universal themes which cut to the heart of philosophical questions of the innate goodness or evil of man, and historical references such as the†¦show more content†¦If Conrad’s intention was to foster debate – or, indeed, disgust –concerning European colonialism, it is ironic that his novel, in the post-colonial era of today, has become the centerpiece of heated debate about the allegedly racist nature of its language and the greater implications of his view of race in light of the fall of colonialism and what most consider a great awakening of sorts in areas of the West’s views on race (Kuchta 160). That is, it is ironic that Conrad’s supposedly anti-colonialist work has earned the distinction of a reputation as representative, in modern academic circles, of a grossly outdated (not to say politically incorrect, in the extreme), highly colonialist and racist mentality. In fact, a cursory search of internet and other resources in today’s era is unlikely to produce many, if any, writings on Conrad and Heart of Darkness that are devoid of mention or focus upon the fixation of race and racism of which Conrad is accused. This was almost certainly not the case during at least the first fifty years following the publication of the novel, at which time most writing would have certainly focused primarily upon the literary techniques and considerations of human nature which Conrad employs. The debate, however, is almost impossible to avoid today. All of this debate began in earnest, of course, with Chinua Achebe’s 1974 essay, An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness, in which Achebe accusedShow MoreRelatedEthnocentrism: with Whom Resides the Heart of Darkness?790 Words   |  4 PagesEthnocentrism 1 Ethnocentrism With Whom Resides the Heart of Darkness? 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