Heart of Darkness centers around Marlow, an introspective sailor, and his journey up the Congo River to meet Kurtz, reputed to be an idealistic man of great abilities. Marlow takes a job as a riverboat captain with the Company, a Belgian concern organized to trade in the Congo. As he travels to Africa and then up the Congo, Marlow encounters widespread inefficiency and brutality in the Company's stations. The native inhabitants of the region have been forced into the Company's service, and they suffer terribly from overwork and ill treatment at the hands of the Company's agents. The cruelty and squalor of imperial enterprise contrasts sharply with the impassive and majestic jungle that surrounds the white man's settlements, making them appear to be tiny islands amidst a vast darkness.

Heart of Darkness may be short, but that doesn't make it an easy read; the short novel is loaded with themes, imagery, and symbols. If you need a little help understanding it, let BookCaps help with this study guide. Along with chapter by chapter summaries and anaylisis, this book features the full text of Conrad's classic novel is also included. BookCap Study Guides are not meant to be purchased as alternatives to reading the book.

Unlock the more straightforward side of Heart of Darkness with this concise and insightful summary and analysis! This engaging summary presents an analysis of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells the story of his experiences in one of the European colonies in Africa. As a young man, he travelled to the colony for work, where he met the ivory trader Kurtz, who had been driven mad by the unremittingly harsh climate and was ruling over the indigenous inhabitants as a bloodthirsty, god-like tyrant. Heart of Darkness’s exploration of the extreme brutality engendered by colonialism made it one of the most celebrated English-language works of the 19th century, although some later critics have accused Conrad himself of racism and imperialism in his depiction of the novella’s black characters. Conrad was born in what is now Ukraine in 1857, and much of his work was influenced by his experiences in the British navy, which took him all over the world, including to a number of European colonies. Find out everything you need to know about Heart of Darkness in a fraction of the time! This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you: • A complete plot summary • Character studies • Key themes and symbols • Questions for further reflection Why choose BrightSummaries.com? Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time. See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!

Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness, has fascinated critics and readers alike, engaging them in highly controversial debate as it deals with fundamental issues of good and evil, civilisation, race, love and heroism. This classic tale transcends the boundaries of time and place and has inspired famous film and television adaptations emphasising the cultural significance and continued relevance of the book. This guide to Conrad’s captivating novel offers: an accessible introduction to the text and contexts of Heart of Darkness a critical history, surveying the many interpretations of the text from publication to the present a selection of new essays and reprinted critical essays on Heart of Darkness, by Ian Watt, Linda Dryden, Ruth Nadelhaft, J. Hillis Miller and Peter Brooks, providing a range of perspectives on the novel and extending the coverage of key critical approaches identified in the survey section cross-references between sections of the guide, in order to suggest links between texts, contexts and criticism suggestions for further reading. Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Heart of Darkness and seeking not only a guide to the novel, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds Conrad's text.

Heart of Darkness, a novel by Joseph Conrad, was originally a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine in 1899. It is a story within a story, following a character named Charlie Marlow, who recounts his adventure to a group of men onboard an anchored ship. The story told is of his early life as a ferry boat captain. Although his job was to transport ivory downriver, Charlie develops an interest in investing an ivory procurement agent, Kurtz, who is employed by the government. Preceded by his reputation as a brilliant emissary of progress, Kurtz has now established himself as a god among the natives in "one of the darkest places on earth." Marlow suspects something else of Kurtz: he has gone mad.A reflection on corruptive European colonialism and a journey into the nightmare psyche of one of the corrupted, Heart of Darkness is considered one of the most influential works ever written.

A Study Guide for Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Short Stories for Students.This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Short Stories for Students for all of your research needs.