Joseph Conrad
Mindmap
Associations with
‘Heart of Darkness’.
Heart of
Darkness
Objectives
•
To explore and understand the
historical context of Heart of
Darkness.
Context
What is Context?
The set of facts or circumstances that
surround a situation or event.
e.g. social, historical, philosophical.
Why is it important that we understand the
context of literary works?
Context
Exploring context allows us to…
• understand the author’s intentions and
motivations.
• understand and relate to the relevance of
the work and the issues therein.
Chronology
1857
1862
1865
Jozef Teodor Konrad
Korzeniowski born December 3 in
Berdichev.
Father exiled to Russia
accompanied by wife and son.
Conrad’s mother dies. He is left
in the care of his uncle.
1869
Conrad returns to Cracow with his
father where he attends
school.
His father dies.
1874
Leaves Cracow for Marseilles.
1875
Apprentice aboard the Mont-Blanc,
bound for Martinique.
1878
Attempts suicide by shooting
himself through the chest.
1885
Receives British certificate of
naturalisation.
1889
1890
1894
1896
1898
1899
1906
1910
Summer in London.
Returns to Poland for the first time
since 1874. Leaves for the Congo.
Ends his career as a seaman.
Marries Jessie George.
Son Alfred born. Moves to Kent.
Completes Heart of Darkness.
Son John born.
Becomes seriously ill.
1924
Declines knighthood. Health
deteriorates. Dies of a heart attack
August 3. Buried in Canterbury.
Publication
"I need not enlarge upon the pleasure of
seeing my story in such a good place." —
Conrad to William Blackwood, 29
November 1897.
• ‘The Heart of Darkness’ first published in
monthly serialisation, 1899.
• Finally published in a ‘revised’ & collated
edition, 1902.
Historical Context
Imperialism and the scramble for Africa:
At the end of the 18th century colonialism seemed to have become
a thing of the past. Britain had lost its Thirteen Colonies in America,
Spain and Portugal had lost most of South America and Holland was
having difficulties holding onto the East Indies.
A hundred years later, however, a second wave of colonisation took
place. Within twenty years, from 1880 to 1900, every corner of the
Earth, from the highest mountains in the Himalayas to the most
remote Pacific island and Antarctica, came to be claimed by one or
other European power. Africa saw the most dramatic colonisation. It
was divided up as if it had been a cake split between greedy
European leaders. This was called the "Scramble for Africa".
Having visited Africa, Conrad would have experienced the scramble
first hand.
Historical Context
An American
cartoon depicting
Britain taking
African territory
(circa. 1900)
What do you think prompted European interest in Africa?
Historical Context
Africa is never identified by name in the
novel. Marlow – the novel’s protagonist
and narrator - only describes ‘the biggest,
the most blank space’ on the map.
Christopher L. Miller suggests that “the
reader - teased into thinking he is reading
a novel ‘about’ Africa’ is, in fact, “led into a
void that … has no name but ‘heart of
darkness’.
Group Work
• Group A
• Group B
• Underline all the
dates & places
(countries & states)
mentioned.
• Underline all the
phrases that describe
the relationship
between white
colonisers & natives.
I.L.T.
Find out as much as you can about King
Leopold II and Sir Henry Stanley with
reference to the Belgian colonisation of
Africa.