Heart of Darkness

Rating:
Summary: The horror amidst the jungle of humanity
Review: Conrad leads a journey into the depths of the jungle. The jungle of our souls. His dark poetry hints truth, if only we dare to seek it out. The tensions he creates mirror our lives in ways we wish would remain hidden. His story is not merely about a storyteller named Marlow or an elusive voice of a ghost names Kurtz whispering of "horror"; it is about you and me. It is about all Horror. It is about all Truth. It is about Life

Rating:
Summary: Twisted under the surface
Review: Conrad's mastery of the English language lend the book a lyrical and rich quality. On cursory reading, the narrative appears naturalistic, almost normal, but below that surface lie many layers, each difficult to define, and each impossible to separate from the natural flow of the text. It is a metaphysical treatise on good and evil, a sharp damnation of the opportunism and speculation of colonialism, a brilliant rendering of impenetrable Africa, a picaresque, and a treasure map which points out the region of the heart, if not the exact spot, in which human compassion can be buried and hidden forever

Rating:
Summary: You must read this book !
Review: As the sun sets the tale begins. English was not Conrads native tongue which makes this towering masterpiece all the more amazing. Sadly nothing has changed since Kurtz ventured up the Congo - the indifferent slaughter goes on today.

Rating:
Summary: "The horror! The horror!"
Review: Experience this ironic tale as a parody of the conventional romance quest as Kurtz--through his "enlightenment"-- sacrifices his sanity as he enacts the myth of Narcissus as told by the Orphic Marlow. Conrad's long short story is rich in archteypal imagery and is written in fascinatingly descriptive language with beautiful detail. Watch how Kurtz suffers his terrifying existential annihilation as Marlow travels down the Congo into the "heart" of the unconscious. (This is also the best critical edition, well stocked with significant essays and Conrad's own correspondence).

Rating:
Summary: Powerful
Review: If you have any respect for the power of the English language this is a must read

Rating:
Summary: The brooding gloom of an accursed inheritance.
Review: The words, "brooding" and "gloom" appear in four of the first five paragraphs of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Why this mood? It was the pessimism gripping England late in the 19th century brought on by Darwin's startling revelations and the subsequent realization that perhaps mankind is not God's chosen. Conrad seasons the narrative with images of evolution. The story is told aboard a yacht at anchor, riding out the tide in the Thames, a waterway that led "to the uttermost ends of the earth," even "to the night of the first ages." Scientists speak of early man as if he lived long ago, but Marlow, the narrator, guides the reader to him on a "sea of inexorable time" to the other "end of countless ages . . . to the beginning of time." The journey itself is a voyage to Africa and up the Congo River in search of ivory. There Marlow encounters Kurtz, once the prodigy, now thoroughly corrupted by the horror of an encounter with the "appalling face of a glimpsed truth." Heart of Darkness truly ranks among the greatest of English language novels.

Rating:
Summary: Three is not the charm
Review: This time is my third go at reading Heart of Darkness. The first and second time I was under the pressure of time and grades for high school and later college. As the book is short in length, both teachers only gave one or two days to read the book. At least for me, it's a dense book. The further into the story I get, the harder it is to read. It's as if the writing style mimics the growing darkness of the hinterland as Marlow gets closer to finding Kurtz. Kurtz, now, is, in my humble opinion, a let down. All through the book he's played up as this superhuman man who knows the wilds of Africa better than any one and is of such a character that he has devotees! Yet when he is finally found, he is but a husk of a man, insane from illness and is only in the story in person for a couple of pages. Even after Marlow has met him face to face, he continues to sing the man's praises! Somehow in that brief and uninspiring meeting Marlow is converted?

Rating:
Summary: The horror! the horror!
Review: Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is without a doubt, in my mind, the most remarkable English language novel ever written. Its masterful prose, its measure of depth, its effective and horrifying look into the depths of the human soul--Joseph Conrad's masterpiece stands head and shoulders above the competition. Conrad, born Polish, wrote this book in Engish (most definitely not his first language), yet every word, sentence and mark of punctuation is used exquisitely. Don't let its short length fool you--every word of "Heart of Darkness" goes toward making it a substantial read, and one that will stay with you for years to come. Conrad has the guts to question the true way of life--should we recognize the selfish, sickening darkness that envelops the whole of mankind, or should we ignore that fact, climb out of depression, and live a blissfull lie in denial of the horrible alternative? "Heart of Darkness" has changed my life--let it change yours as well.

Rating:
Summary: Heart of Darkness
Review: Joseph Conrad expresses his radical views of colonization in the novel, published during a time when Europeans were in a rage of civilizing and converting the people of Africa into Christians. Conrad's revolutionary ideas are depicted through a story told by Marlow, a European seaman, on the deck of the Nellie, while waiting in the Thames River. The imperialistic views proposed are justified by the men's greed and futility. Their quest to find all of the ivory hidden deep in the heart of the Congo, overcomes their original intentions. Intertwined with irony, there is a distinct portrayal of the lives of men during that time. Although this novel is brief, the reader must thoroughly read the text to comprehend the meaning beneath Marlow's adventure story. One must metaphorically read between the lines to grasp the author's intentions in the book. Regardless of the difficulty of the text, this book does not keep you on the edge of your seat. It moves slowly, mainly because it is so descriptive. It is a pleasurable piece of literature that can be accompanied by a film version.

Rating:
Summary: This takes a little thought....
Review: Joseph Conrad's novel, Heart of Darkness is a dark, profound, and lasting novel that portrays the futility and irony taking place in Africa. If you are looking for a great book to read over the weekend this is not the book for you. Conrad holds nothing back when describing 19th century imperialism, but the novel is meaningless without giving it the reflection and consideration it deserves. If I read this novel looking for a great adventure story I would say that I wasted my time, but looking at in the perspective of explaining the futility of 19th century civilization, I would say this is one of the most significant novels I have ever read. Because of the fact that I read this novel in my English class, and we analyzed every page, I think I appreciated the book more than someone would who was just reading it for entertainment. I am not going to lie, this book was difficult and it challenges the reader to dig deep into this novel to find the true meaning. The movie on the other hand I found tiresome and boring. The movie, "Heart of Darkness" comes no where near giving the book justice. The movie left out many key parts that I consider important to get the true message of the story. If you are having difficulty understanding and visualizing the novel then the movie might be a good recourse but I would not recommend seeing the movie as an alternative to the novel or even a different perspective.