AP LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION MAJOR WORKS DATA SHEET
Assigned: Wednesday, October 15th and Thursday, October 16th
Mrs. BakahaiLitman
Directions: This assessment should be completed as you read Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. You may
complete this assignment as a group or you may complete it individually. This is a Performance Assessment
Grade. Do not copy and paste or plagiarize any information. Doing so will result in a “0” on the assignment.
The overall goal of this assignment is to help you prepare for the AP Literature Exam in May. It will be later used
as a Study Guide to assist you. This assignment is due at the beginning of the Block the following dates: (“A Day:
Thursday, November 6th and “B” Day: Friday, November 7th-NO EXCEPTIONS!) If you will not be present on
the due date, you must make arrangements with me and your group members to turn it in on or before the due
date! If the assignment is not turned in by the due date, you will only receive ½ credit (50%) for turning it in late.
For assistance with reading, you may visit http://www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/heart-of-darkness/part-1/. But,
do not allow it to replace the reading of the original text.
MAJOR WORKS DATA SHEET
Title: Heart of Darkness
Author: Joseph Conrad
Date of Publication: 1902
Biographical Information about the Author
Use notes taken from the video you watched in
class, the essays you read in class, and the class
discussions to assist you in completing this section.
Historical Information about the period of publication
Use notes taken from the video you watched in class, the
essaysyou read in class, and the class discussions to assist you
in completing this section.To understand the story better,
you should become familiar with terms from the story
listed below. Using your computer, research the
following terms and write a short description or
definition for each.
1. Congo River
2. Colonialism
3. Imperialism
4. Ivory trade
5. King Leopold II
Characteristics of the Genre
As a modern novella, Heart of Darkness illuminates
individual experience, conveys inner consciousness,
and focuses on the mystery of the universe, its lack
of order and purpose. Also, during the period of
publication, the Victorian age brought a great rise of
pessimism and stoicism, both which penetrate the
literature of the last decade and the nineteenth
century and the first decade of the twentieth century.
Plot Summary
Sections
I.
“Toward the Heart of Darkness”
II.
“In the Heart of Darkness”
III.
“Out of the Heart of Darkness”
Describe the author’s style
The complexity of Conrad’s language is often
characterized by balanced phrases and parallel
structures. He interrupts his narrative with long, poetic
descriptions of natural scenes. Although sometimes
criticized for his verbosity, his word choice, phrasing,
and length of sentence, all tend to elevate his prose to
the level of eloquence.
Examples that demonstrates that style
You should have three examples (1 from each section).
Memorable Quotes
Quotation
You should have five (5) memorable quotes. You
must include the speaker’s name and the page
numbers where you found the quotes.
Significance
Name
∙Marlow
∙Kurtz
∙Accountant
∙the Cannibals
∙Marlow’s aunt
∙Kurtz’s Intended
∙Kurtz’s Mistress
∙the General Manager
∙General Manager’s Uncle
∙doctor in Brussels
∙the harlequin Russian
Characters
Role in the Story
Significance
Adjectives
Setting
The setting begins on the Nellie, a ship at anchor on the Thames
in London. While anchoring here, Marlow tells his companions
on the Nellie a narrative about his adventures as a riverboat
captain on the Congo River sometime in the past. The Congo
story is preceded and followed by a visit to Brussels, Belgium, the
headquarters for the company.
Significance of opening scene
Take this information from discussion in class.
Significance of ending/closing scene
Write three sentences in response to the following
three questions:
(A) How does Marlow respond to
Brussels when he returns there after
his Congo experience?
(B) What does Marlow do when he visits
the Intended? Why does he go?
Why does he lie to her?
(C) What effect has Marlow’s narrative
had on his listeners on the Nellie?
Symbols
Choose four of the following and explain the symbolism:
∙white
∙black
∙yellow
∙Kurtz’s painting
∙ivory
∙the Congo River
∙rivets
∙sunshine
Old AP Questions
1971, 1972, 1976, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2000,
2001, 2002
Possible Themes
Write three (3) themes that your group decides on.
1.
2.
3.