Heart of Darkness

The Novel in 7 key elements



 LnT is here to help high school students and those learning English as a second language understand English literature better. Today, we're going to look closely at Joseph Conrad's famous book, "Heart of Darkness." We'll take it step by step to help you get a clear picture of this important story.

We'll use a special mind map to guide us through:

  • General Introduction
  • Plot Overview
  • Structure
  • Characters
  • Settings
  • Point of View
  • Themes

Understanding the background of the author is essential. We encourage you to check out our interactive Biography Chart on our website. This tool is designed for students to easily gather key information about Joseph Conrad's life and his contributions to literature.

To give you more background about the time and place of "Heart of Darkness," we've made some videos. You can find these on our YouTube channel and our website.

The title, "Heart of Darkness," has a lot of meaning. It helps show the book's main ideas and contrasts.

Conrad wrote the book based on his own experiences in Africa, showing the problems with colonialism. Characters like Kurtz show the effects of these issues.

The book's structure is interesting. It starts and ends in London but most of the story happens in Africa. This helps show Marlow's journey, both what he sees and how he feels.

The characters in the book are complex. We'll look at Marlow, Kurtz, and others to understand the story's main themes better.

Our step-by-step approach helps break down the story so it's easier to understand. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe to help us keep making these helpful videos.

Join us as we explore "Heart of Darkness" and see why understanding the structure of a story is so important. Until next time, keep reading and learning!


LnT  suggests

LnT A very accurate article on the multiple meanings of Conrad's novella

"How Conrad's imperial horror story 'Heart of Darkness' resonates with our globalised times" 

LnT Resources

  1. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Blackwood's Magazine, 1899.

Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Penguin Books, 1995.

  1. Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'." Massachusetts Review, 1977.
  2. Watts, Cedric. "A Bloody Racist: About Achebe's View of Conrad." The Yearbook of English Studies, 1983.
  3. Said, Edward. Culture and Imperialism. Knopf, 1993.
  4. Smith, Johanna M. "Too Beautiful Altogether: Ideologies of Gender and Empire in Heart of Darkness." Heart of Darkness, edited by Ross C. Murfin, Bedford St. Martins, 1996.
  5. Parry, Benita. "Conrad and Imperialism." The Cambridge Companion to Joseph Conrad, edited by J.H. Stape, Cambridge University Press, 1996, pp. 20-39.
  6. Firchow, Peter Edgerly. Envisioning Africa: Racism and Imperialism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness. University Press of Kentucky, 2000.
  7. Lothe, Jakob, ''Heart of Darkness' Contrasted with Chance: Narrative Success and Narrative Failure', Conrad's Narrative Method, Clarendon Paperbacks (Oxford, 1991; online edn, Oxford Academic, 3 Oct. 2011), https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198122555.003.0002.
  8. "Youth." Mantex, https://mantex.co.uk/youth/.

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