Realism and/ or modernism Essay

Marlow seems to alienate himself from urban society in favour of a wasteland. However, it can be said that this was a positive sacrifice. The Africans may puzzle seen the modern bureaucratic Europe as a sterile and materialistic wasteland. Here we see Conrad prompting the reader to reassess his or her own opinions and interpretations of Africa. Conrad has been authentic with writing a Harrowing Critique of Western Colonialism. This is not tho due to his explicit exposure of the atrocities of European colonialism but also his cunning drill of vocabulary. He refers to the merry dance of death and trade (p.31) as well as an inhabited devastation (p. 32) when illustrating the horrors of the colonisation of Africa by Europe. Heart of Darkness was pen at a time when Africa was entirely carved up and shargond out between a number of European countries. Conrad seems to be exposing the predatory constitution of these countries and their attitudes towards colonisation, and particularly focuses on the Belgian Congo. He does not however, entirely condemn colonisation. He does not suggest any alternative, nor does he suggest that African natives argon capable of running their own country.Marlow does not make any attempt to understand the African culture, nor does he consider them as equals. Africa is seen very much as an antithesis to Europe, and t herefore to elaboration. Even the title of the novelette Heart of Darkness presents Africa as an uncivilized and primitive land, and could be accused of dehumanizing and dispersonalising Africa. Marlow views what is happening to the African natives from a exceed and although he does respond to their treatment by the colonisers he does not react in any way. He claims he is on a heavenly agency to civilize(21).It therefore seems as though Conrad views the colonisation as a civilising robbery, but includes very little discussion of the social or economic do of the expansion of Europe. It is not only Conrads presentation of the African natives that is modernistic. Women are also viewed in very different ways throughout the novel. Kurtzs think is depicted as a typical Victorian woman. Marlow feels that he must look after her, and therefore protects her from the truth about Kurtz. Conrads description of African women creates a great contrast.Here Conrad creates an image of a much stronger character. However, although African women seem to be presented as much more powerful and capable, the entire novella is written through the eyes of a male, and the entire focus is on male experience. There is much evidence of Conrads exploration of the Eastern area in Heart of Darkness. It is however, his examination of the inner life that is most evident. The image of the black fellows rowing the boats is describe by Conrad as a brief contact with reality (p. 30) implying that all humans share a usual spiritual heritage.This presents Heart of Darkness as a cross-cultural almost mythologic journey, suggesting th at racial archetypes emerge only in dreams and myths. Modernists were also c at oncerned with reassessing the ordinary and the everyday, and often invited the reader to reconsider their text. In Heart of Darkness there are a number of adjectives used to describe the coast smiling, frowning, inviting, grand, mean, inspired or savage (p. 29). This is not a traditional presentation of a coastline, and the almost irrelevant list prompts the reader to reassess his or her own interpretation of the coast.The presentation of the edge of the colossal jungle as a ruled line (p. 29) is other modernistic feature of Conrads arrive at, as it was not previously common to view natural creations in such scientific or geometric ways. This once again causes the reader to re-evaluate the text as well as their own perception of the ordinary and everyday. A sense of vision and perspective was of great importee to modernist writers. Marlows vision of the various trading places passed on his journey is a thoroughly modernistic one.The place names are listed before being described as belonging to some sordid farce (p. 30). This is not only a slightly unusual presentation, once again prompting the reader to reassess the ordinary it also gives a great insight into Marlows, and indeed Conrads own vision and perception of the outside world. Modernist writers often presented the world as desolate, and Conrads Heart of Darkness is no exception. Marlow describes his isolation within a mournful and senseless delusion (p. 30), and the coast is illustrated as formless bordered by tremendous surf (p. 31).Marlows journey is at one point described as a weary pilgrimage amongst hints for nightmares (p. 31). This all seems to help create the common modernist image of a desolate world. Although Conrad does not celebrate the state of the modern world, he, like so many modernist writers, was concerned with honoring the creativity of language. His presentation of hallucination is followed by a glo rious use of vocabulary lugubrious drollery. His description of the black fellows is also somewhat creative. He describes their faces as grotesque masks and illustrates the sheen (p.30) whites of their eyeballs seen from afar. The inhabited devastation is described as drowned in a blinding sunlight (p. 32). Both the words, blinding and drowning have negative connotations and are used here to create the desolate negative image of the modern world Conrad was keen to present. This recrudescence of glare (p. 32) created by Conrad is an incredibly creative use of language and vocabulary. Not only through the content of his text, but also through the use of his vocabulary and narrative, Conrad has created in Heart of Darkness an exemplary Modern Text.Its exposure of the precarious bases of civilisation and its sceptical inquiry into what sustains value and meaning to human life are typical modernist traits. The political and social subject matters of Heart of Darkness imperialism and col onialism, race and sexuality have proved increasingly controversial in the course of the twentieth century, and this is why the novella has received so much criticism and analysis.Bibliography. Ackroyd, Peter, 2000. The Times. Barry, Peter, 1995 (2002). Beginning Theory, Manchester Manchester University Press. Brooks, Peter. recitation for the Plot Design and Intention in Narrative. Cambridge Harvard UP, 1984 Conrad, Joseph, 1902 (1995). Heart of Darkness, London Penguin Classics Hampson, Robert, 2000. Heart of Darkness, The Congo Diary, London Penguin Classics. Student number 200404375 Year One Tutor Richard Capes module Introduction to Modern Literature 14107 Essay 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Joseph Conrad section.