Rating: 
Summary: Conrad in exquisite agony
Review: Back in the day, "Heart" used to get paired with The Secret Sharer, which is a far more suspenseful tale (questionable ship's captain almost runs his craft aground to dump the sharer dude), but "Heart" is Conrad @his agonizing best, almost defying the reader to comprehend that which the narrator never does.Although the main tale is Marlowe's, reader may recall that tale begins in third-person omniscient, as crew anticipates another Marlovian intrusion while waiting for the tide to rise on the Thames. Conrad's obsession with detail: Marlowe's physical by company doctor includes having his 19th-century head measured with calipers & doctor extracting promise from Marlowe to have head measured on return, since doc's convinced heads shrink in Africa. He should be so lucky. Of course, Marlowe's hypermorality (according to him, everyone's an opportunist or slackard) deserts him when he's confronted with Kurtz's intended's insistence on hearing the last words (& we ALL know what they are), & we know then that Marlowe is mortal & sullied by the heart of darkness. Conrad was a miserable guy, full of debts & doubt, but if he weren't, there'd be no Heart of Darkness, maybe the premier allegory in modern lit.
Rating: 
Summary: In short, Imperialism stinks
Review: Bear with me a moment.
Any short story of merit deserves to be read repeatedly, as it is likely that a new appreciation for the work will emerge with each immersion. Such it is with stories like Young Goodman Brown, and The Dead. Conrad's Heart of Darkness is a longer work than these two, but it is considered short. In the book I read it in, it was barely one hundred pages long.
My first reading of Heart of Darkness was rather laborious, likely because I have been readying children's and young adult fantasy for the past year, for unrelated research purposess. Imagine the shock! When I finished reading it, my head was spinning a bit. Without doubt, I recognized that I had finished reading a truly great story, but I was not entirely sure why it was great, so far gone was my brain in it's genre fixation. Therefore, I read it again.
It was my second reading of Heart of Darkness that offered the intense enjoyment of *understanding* the greatness of a thing. It wasn't merely a story of a voyage into the Congo; nay, it was a story of man's inhumanity toward other men, and raised disturbing questions about imperialism (which now, more than 100 years later, we recognize more vividly).
Then there was the simple symbolism. There are two women knitting black wool that seem to hint at the Fates of Greek mythology. What are they knitting? It is most likely the doom of the Africans, while these "fates" have an uneasy alliance with their gods, The Company.
There is the the use of white and black, so prevalent in the story. Juxtaposed against each other, they showed the ridiculousness of man's perception of black being bad and white being good - for there was nothing good about the Company - as it is a company entirely of Whites. Even the Accountant is immaculately dressed and described as draped in white.
These examples scratch the surface.
It was such a delight to read something again that made me *think*. And I'm eagerly awaiting the third reading, although I want to read a few more stories by Conrad before I do so again.
One reviewer said that friends of his derided him for reading books read in high school. I remember reading The Scarlet Letter, As I Lay Dying, Slaughterhouse Five, The Great Gatsby (and others that aren't coming directly to mind). Are these books not classics of literature because they were read in high school? Rubbish and sophistry.
Rating:
Summary: Heart of Darkness
Review: Conrad's Heart of Darkness is considered a classic masterpiece of 20th Century literature, on par with Shakesphere and other literary greats. Of course, this means that the novella will not appeal to everyone. While it is a great work of description, social commentary, and philosophy, HoD is not an easy read, nor is it mindlessly entertaining by any means. Unless one is an English major or has done extensive background research on HoD, much of the richness and depth of the story will be lost on the average reader. Nevertheless, most serious readers could benefit from taking a stab at reading and understanding Heart of Darkness. Conrad's messages about man's depravity, conquest, and colonization are worth hearing, and perhaps are even more relevant in today's world.
The most noticable aspect of Conrad's writing is his ambiguous, dense style. Often, it's hard to figure out exactly what is happening in the story. This tends to irritate readers who want the straightforward and concise. I, for one, find the hazy, ambiguous style to fit nicely. After all, this is a book about darkness, is it not? While Heart of Darkness will challenge even the most well-read, it is certainly worth tackling.
Rating:
Summary: The horror
Review: Conrad's narrator Marlowe tells the tale in the special reflective and complex prose that seems to give as many questions as answers. He sets the tone and the mood so special in Conrad for this tale of the white man's venture into the heart of darkness, the heart which on one level is the civilization or absence of the civilization of the dark continent, and on the other in the deepest sense in the soul of Man himself. For what Mr. Kurtz reveals ultimately is the horrow within himself, perhaps the horror of the evil of the deeds of colonializing civilization, perhaps the evil of the human soul itself stript bare of civilization's restrictions and inhibitions. In any case the tale told by Marlowe is one which does not provide an easy answer, but as in Conrad's best work provides an opportunity for deeper contemplation. And all this done with that pensive and wisely descriptive prose of Conrad which at once lures us, captivates us , imprisons us and makes us long like Kurtz himself in the heart of Africa, to escape from it.
Rating:
Summary: Skilled
Review: English majors are justly fond of Conrad, who packs his stories with subtlety, symbolism, parallels, and rich imagery. "Heart of Darkness" is a brief and strangely absorbing read. Its plot is simple enough on the surface, about a sailor who guides a steamer up the Congo in search of a vaunted ivory trader. But beneath the surface, in a palpable atmosphere of unease, lie the book's complicated themes. This isn't just a condemnation of European activity in Africa, but a glimpse at the evil within every man. In some ways this book is a precursor to "Lord of the Flies" and other twentieth century books of despair, and yet Conrad does not leave the reader without hope. In skilful, mystical passages about light and dark, black and white, tall and short, jungle and sepulchre, Conrad gives us much food for thought about the nature of humankind and the possibilities for both good and evil. I see this book more as a warning than a simple cry of despair - though it pays ample attention to "the horror" of it all.
Rating:
Summary: blah
Review: i just want to begin by addressing something which people have said about this book, and about modernist literature in general. They say that certain things are said in certain ways and that it would have been a lot easier to say them in a more straightforward way that didn't require the reader to think too much about them. Perhaps this novel would be better if it were just a straightforward description of colonialism?
firstly, i doubt it would be still read today, it would be replaced by more contemporary examinations of colonialism that express its truths in a less and less offensive way, retrospectively, and falsely, applying the values of today on a time which could neither understand nor agree with them.
secondly, if people have an objection to a book which warps what were at that time(and largely still are) the conventions of storytelling into something new and different, and one which revels in ambiguity, then they should simply not read it. One would hardly criticize a novel for not having moving pictures in it; and a similar argument applies to criticizing a book for not having the conventions and structure to which one is accustomed. Modernist literature is so radically different in so many respects from the types of literature which predominated before its inception that it could almost be considered as a new medium of expression. Coming to this book with an attitude that it must somehow conform to longstanding or widely adhered to rules will only lead to a misunderstanding and undeserving contempt for a brilliant text. If people merely want a yarn about colonialism, there are surely many books which express its truths more enjoyably and in more detail than heart of darkness. Heart of Darkness is more than merely a story about colonialism. it's a book which reflects the new way that man began to see the world in conrad's time. It reflects Nietzche's observation that god is dead in the modern world. God is dead in this book. The god which ordains what is 'civilized' and that which is not. It ironically examines the complete relativity of the concept of 'civilization'. it is a book mired in relativities, it refuses to describe a well-established clockwork inevitability with god presiding in his timelessly august fashion! This is reflected in the ambiguities which invite differing interpretations.
The importance of the book lies in its absolute insistence upon the validity of the viewpoints of any thinking, feeling existent who chooses to interpret in a certain way. Therefore any explication with attempts to lay out a definitive interpretation is obviously misguided. What this book did was challenge people to put something of themselves into the act of reading a book....no, in fact, a great deal of themselves. The story, the ideas which emerge in the mind of the reader will have been fashioned to a large extent by the reader himself. And in a strange way, maybe an apprehension of this fact will allow people to come a deeper understanding of themselves through a journey not dissimilar to Marlow's into the heart of darkness.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting...
Review: I thought that Heart of Darkness was an excellent book that everyone should read. I portrays every single persons true self, there sense of darkness and treachery in the world. Not every person you meet shows there sense of darkness, but this book displays how there is a feeling in that amongst all of us. Joseph Conrad shows a lot of feelings that some humans experience, like racism, and insanity. This book takes you for a real roller coaster ride. If you liked Heart of Darkness, you should see the movie Apocalypse Now. This movie is exactly the same thing as this except it's in a different time period. This novella is a story about Marlow and is adventure through the Congo River. As Marlow goes down the river, he encounters several obstacles that make him realize the true threat of the Congo River. The plot and the themes of the story are difficult to understand but eventually it can be grasped. The only attribute I particularly didn't like about the book was the extreme detail that Conrad shows in the book. I thought that he could have summed up most of the stories details to a shorter version. All and all it was a very interesting book.
Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: I was exposed to Conrad when I took a course in Modern Fiction as an undergraduate, 20 years ago. I took the course as an elective to fill a lit requirement. It was one of the best courses I've ever taken, and of all the tremendous books that were assigned, this was my favorite. I have read this at least 1/2 dozen times in my life. I WAS glad, however, that I had a literary scholar walk through this one. I doubt I would have appreciated it as much had I not. I would therefore recommend the critical edition if you're reading this on your own. Modern Fiction - the literary period from circa 1900 to the mid-fifty's, is not everyone's cup of tea and can understand the negative reviews. The best of these works are dense, relative to today's standards but worthwhile - at least to me. Simply, they don't make'em like this anymore. After reading Heart of Darkness, take another look at Apocalypse Now, the best film adaptation of a novel - ever. Dark, hypnotic, surreal - Heart of Darkness stands alone as a unique classic of american literature.
Rating:
Summary: A book you won't forget in a hurry
Review: I was once one of those students forced to read this book at school. I was dragged kicking and screaming to its pages and read it only because I did not want to flunk my class. I was riveted from the first page, right up to the last paragraph. It is quite simply Conrad's finest book, (yes, I read his other books after this one.) The story is simple enough, a young Englishman, Marlow goes out to Africa to seek his fortune. He is at first idealistic, and full of himself. However he quickly realises that Africa is full of petty bureaucrats who have no idea how to make use of this dark jewel they have acquired. Like Colonists before them, they proceed to ravage and plunder the land of its natural resources. Enter Kurtz, an Ivory Trader who has gone Native. He has become a Renegade, living with his Black mistress in the heart of Africa's interior; systematically turning his back on his supposed civilised self. Marlow meets him after an eventful trip up the Congo and finds himself curiously attracted to this strange man who is dying, and obviously going insane. Kurtz in turn is an embarrassment to his employers who would rather see him dead than returned to "civilization." Of course this is unspoken, and the hypocrisy of human natures sticks out like a sore thumb in this novel, especially as Kurtz is one of the best Ivory Traders on the Congo route. Marlow struggles to understand Kurtz and what makes him tick, but he only touches the surface of a man who can live in neither the Black or White world comfortably. He has been corrupted by both worlds and therefore he is cursed. Heart of Darkness has many facets; it is a story about Imperialism, racism, and the darkness of human nature. Conrad purposely leaves the ending open to interpretation. What is the "horror" that Kurtz whispers with his dying breath, is it Africa herself with the depths that have yet to be uncovered, or is it the human psyche with all its viciousness as it greedily crushes a land and people into submission? This is a book that will make you think, make you want to it re-read again and again in case you have missed anything. There are also some genuinely funny moments in the book such as the Doctor who measures skulls for a hobby and the pompous Trading Post clerk who teaches his Black maid to starch his clothes. This edition, (Dover Thrift) is well worth getting as well, as it is cheap and cheerful and it definitely won't break the bank money wise.
Rating:
Summary: Some Thoughts on Style
Review: Id like to make some comments on the culture and style of writing by offering you a challenge. While Heart of Darkness is of course an important work, it is one of the last works of the expressive style put in the grave by Hemmingway and Steinbeck and the like.
Just for fun, read another story set against the sea, The Old Man and the Sea. Think about the style and how the author presents things to you. Are the characters self consious? Does the author try to form every reaction you might have, to brace every word with a thought?
Now, after you finish Old Man, try reading the first five pages or HoD. In comparison, it will be like trying to run through waist deep snow. Every time Conrad looks across a glimmer of a shadow of a breaking wave's spray, he has a thousand throughts and tangents and every word is chosen with a new precision. It reminds me of the adage that the Inuit have 47 words for snow.
Old Man is told with a vocabulary of a hundred words and effortlessly is in touch with subject matter by striking at the heart of the reader where Heart of Darkness is like a sharp stick caught in your brain.
Just a thought or two.
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