Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness

we use have no meaning whatever and of the other half each man understands each word after the fashion of his own folly and conceit" (14 Jan. 1898, Collected Letters [CL] 2.17). "If I succeed, you shall find," continues the Preface, offering, in addition, "perhaps, also that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask" (59). Evidently Conrad had already forgotten his dictum of the previous year that "the truth is ... that one's own personality is only a ridiculous and aimless masquerade of something hopelessly unknown" (24 Mar. 1896, CL 1.267). But he had a strong reasons for seeing that he for... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness â€Å"Kurtz is a disturbing symbol of madness and despair, but he does not dominate the novel. Would you agree?† Kurtz is definitely a disturbing symbol in Heart of Darkness, embodying the gloom, the despair, the ‘impenetrable darkness’ of the unknown jungle, the darkness inherent in all men’s hearts but he does not dominate the novel. It is Marlow’s perception, his ever changing understanding of the darkness and its many elements from afar and up close, that fills the novel, creates its many layers. It is his indeed this intense journey to Kurtz, Marlow’s journey of discovery on all levels that dominates Joseph Conrad’s novella, Heart of Darkness. Marlow’s journey to Kurtz has many levels, each profound and meaningful. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the novel is Conrad’s powerful indictment of the evils of imperialism. - â€Å"The dreams of men, the seeds of men, the germs of empires.† His account in HOD perhaps reflects the savage repressions carried out in the Congo by the Belgians in one of the largest acts of genocide committed up to that time. And yet, Marlow, the central character in the novel seems to be simultaneously a good liberal identifying humanity within some of the natives, realising that they are in fact human, and a racist at the same time, that the natives are still but mere savages. â€Å"a savage who is no more account than a grain of sand in a black Sahara.† Marlow is simultaneously a good liberal and a racist, and a man struggling quite consciously with both perspectives. It is Conrad’s subtly in his treatment of such matters that allows us to make our own judgements, our own interpretations of Marlow’s river journey to Kurtz. On the way up the Congo to Kurtz, Conrad takes us on a ride using the powerful writing tool of symbolism. The symbols becoming a vehicle that carries us, the audience, from stop to stop, Marlow’s journey becoming an evaluation of the da... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness In Joseph Conrad’s, Heart of Darkness, the unusual Russian seems to have been thrown into the story for no significant purpose except for being Marlows broadcaster and Kurts palace fool. In this book the Russian is an odd character. He seems to pop out of nowhere and he just happens to have so much knowledge of Kurts himself. This Russian, where did he come in the picture? First off he warned Marlow and his crew about an upcoming attack. He obviously wanted them to take Kurts to a place where he could recover. The Russians role in this book is complicating to uncover. According to critique Burgess he is a friend of the author (248). The Russian serves as a messenger; someone to fill in for lost time. We have to remember that nothing has been heard or received from Kurts in the last nine months, so the Russian updates Marlow about Kurts place in the native world and all the changes he has undergone (Burgess 249). The Russian tries to prepare Marlow for what he is about to encounter. He also give him the insight that Kurts is a highly respected man that way he wont show any lack of respect which could in turn lead to his termination. For instance, when Marlow asked the Russian if he talked to Kurts he replied by saying â€Å" You don’t talk with that man - you listen to him†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (C onrad 49). This really emphasizes Kurt’s influence on the natives. The Russian is also viewed as a fool in a royal court (Burgess 250). When Marlow see the Russian for the first time he is jumping up and down shouting â€Å" Its all right† (Conrad 48). Marlow said, â€Å" he looked like he had escaped from a troop of mimes† (Conrad 48). His clothes were all patched up with every bright color you can imagine, just like a clowns costume would be portrayed. According to Burgess all he needs to make this costume complete are the funny hat and the bells (249). â€Å" He is perfectly drawn in the trappings of the Fool, the royal jester, the court ... Free Essays on Heart of Darkness Illusions of the Mind â€Å"People only see what they are prepared to see.† In the novel, Heart of Darkness, the Europeans witness a life unlike any they have ever seen. They must face a harsh reality, which challenges their restraints on society and work. They are put to the test with their values and morals, revealing the truth to one another. Unleashing savagery or remaining civilized. Throughout Marlow’s journey up the Congo into Africa, he becomes increasingly disillusioned with European values and beliefs, thus, leaving Marlow to resist the tempting truth of our savage side or having succumbed to darkness. Without a protective civilized society, Kurtz represents what every man will become if left to his own desires. Every man has a heart of darkness that is usually drowned out by the light of civilization. However, when a man is removed from a civilized environment without any rules or laws to abide by, his instinct of savagery is unleashed. Darkness is related to savagery and Marlow represents the civilized soul, which has not been drawn by a dark force. Marlow is seen as the light in this darkness. There are three stations that Marlow must pass through on his journey to Kurtz: the outer station, the central station, and the inner station. These stations represent symbolic stages in Marlow’s journey of self-discovery. As Marlow travels up river, he first arrives at the outer station. Here he witnesses his first account of the jungle. He sees how the Natives are treated, he views the Europeans acts of futility, and this is just a glimpse of things he has to face in his future travels. Once Marlow reaches the central station he discovers Kurtz may not be the man he once thought. He first hears of Kurtz as being a wonderful man with power but Marlow is beginning to see into his mind. Marlow struggles within himself to see if he is like this man. Throughout his journey up the Congo, Marlow sees much more tr... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness does not explicitly deal with a struggle between war and peace: the conflict is a psychological, moral one; however, the text’s implications that society is a thin veil over our innate savagery, the darkness at the roots of Western civilization, reveals disturbing truths about the peaceful, orderly lives we take for granted. The key to understanding Conrad’s novella lies in ascertaining the metaphorical significance of the â€Å"heart of darkness,† a search which may yield an answer as complex and obscure than any geographical, sociological or psychological solution. Since its publication, several critics have categorized Heart of Darkness as a travelogue, or, at the least, a seaman’s tale mixed with autobiographical elements from Conrad’s life, yet the story itself refutes such interpretations: The yarns of seamen have a direct simplicity, the whole meaning of which lies within the shell of a cracked nut. But Marlow was not typical (if his propensity to spin yarns be expected), and to him the meaning of an episode was not inside like a kernel but outside, enveloping the tale which brought it out only as a glow brings out a haze†¦. (Miller 68) Conrad’s story is obviously about more than a bad trip into the jungle. In several respects, it is a â€Å"study on the effects of man’s isolation from the civilized world, represented by Kurtz† (Miller 129). The title "Heart of Darkness" the name itself implies a sense of unknown evil, and invokes thoughts of secrecy and mystery. It paints paradoxes of seemingly clear concepts and states, such as the mental condition of central character Kurtz, an enigmatic ivory trader deep in the heart of the "Dark Continent." The setting indeed takes place in a region remarkably like the Congo that has led many scholars to automatically label it as such.( Lackey ) For the purposes of this essay, I will acknowledge such connections while keeping in mind ... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Most Literate people know that by going into the Heart of the Jungle (Darkness), Conrad was trying to relay a message about the heart of man, and the story is read as one of the most symbolic stories of the English language. The story recognizes Marlow, its narrator, not Kurtz or the brutality of the Belgian officials. Conrad wrote a statement on how the story should be interpreted: â€Å"My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel it, and above all to make you see.† Knowing that Conrad was a writer that lived in his work, writing about the experiences were almost as if he was writing about himself. The Story was written through the eyes of Marlow. Marlow is a follower of the sea, His voyage up the Congo was the experience in river navigation. He is used as a mask so Conrad can enter the story and tell it out of his own logical mind. Marlow longs to see Kurtz, in hope of appreciating all that Kurtz finds appealing about the Darkness. Marlow does not get a chance to see him until Kurtz is so diseased that he looks more like death itself than a person. There were no good looks or health. In the story Marlow remarks that Kurtz resembles â€Å"an animated image of death carved into ivory†. Like Marlow, Kurtz is seen as an honorable man to many admirers; but he is also a thief, murderer, persecutor, and he allows himself to be worshipped almost as a god. Both Kurtz and Marlow had good intentions to seek, yet Kurtz seems an omniscient being who lacked morality. In the end they form one person. Marlow and Kurtz are the light and dark selves of one person. Meaning each one is what the other might have been. Every person that Marlow meets on his venture contributes to the plot as well as the overall theme of the story. Kurtz is the violent devil explained at the beginning of the story. It was his ability to control men through fear and adoration that led Marlow to signify this. T... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Heart of Darkness Inherent inside every human soul is a savage evil side that remains repressed by society. Often this evil side breaks out during times of isolation from our culture, and whenever one culture confronts another. History is loaded with examples of atrocities that have occurred when one culture comes into contact with another. Whenever fundamentally different cultures meet, there is often a fear of contamination and loss of self that leads us to discover more about our true selves, often causing perceived madness by those who have yet to discover. Joseph Conrad’s book, The Heart of Darkness is a story about man’s journey into his self, and the discoveries to be made there. They are also about Man confronting his fears of failure, insanity, death, and cultural contamination. During Marlow’s mission to find Kurtz, he is also trying to find himself. He, like Kurtz had good intentions upon entering the Congo. Conrad tries to show us that Marlow is what Kurtz had been, and Kurtz is what Marlow could become. Every human has a little of Marlow and Kurtz in them. Marlow says about himself, "I was getting savage (Conrad)," meaning that he was becoming more like Kurtz. Along the trip into the wilderness, they discover their true selves through contact with savage natives. As Marlow ventures further up the Congo, he feels like he is traveling back through time. He sees the unsettled wilderness and can feel the darkness of it’s solitude. Marlow comes across simpler cannibalistic cultures along the banks. The deeper into the jungle he goes, the more regressive the inhabitants seem. Kurtz had lived in the Congo, and was separated from his own culture for quite some time. He had once been considered an honorable man, but the jungle changed him greatly. Here, secluded from the rest of his own society, he discovered his evil side and became corrupted by his power and solitude. Marlow tells us about the Ivory that Kurtz kept... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness CHARACTERS Charlie Marlow Marlow as principal narrator, the teller of the story-within-a-story. He's like the Ancient Mariner of Coleridge's poem; he grips you with his storytelling skills. However, unlike the Mariner, he doesn't have a specific lesson to teach; his moral position is more ambiguous. He is thus "contaminated" by his experiences and memories, and, like Coleridge's Ancient Mariner, destined, to serve penance, by repeating his story to all whom will listen. Marlow serves as Conrad’s stand-in; we see in the first half that the novel is heavily autobiographical. Marlow is always observing and judging, but his politeness always seems to cover up the harshness of his judgments. The brickmaker and manger speak frankly to him because this mask of courtesy hides his contempt for them. We don’t learn very much of Marlow before the Congo voyage except that he is an experienced sailor who has seen the world. We do know that he is a man of modesty and courage. EXAMPLES: attack on the steamer; Kurtz’s escape...We see the modesty come out EXAMPLE: he never emphasizes his heroism of his daring nature and also he gets embarrassed at his aunt’s praises. We do know that Marlow is devoted to his work. His fondness for work is at the base of his system of values. He admits that no one likes to work but it is what keeps you sane, just as it keeps him sane in the jungle. I took this as work provides a structure for life and if you concentrate on the duties of work then you won’t succumb to the call of madness or the â€Å"darkness† of the unknown that surrounds us. Marlow is the moral grounding point of the novel. He is the only white man in the Congo who recognizes the evils of colonialism in Africa. Marlow is the everyman (for lac k of better terms) of the novel. He learns that he has to face his own heart of darkness ..the call of the primitive in his own nature. Later we see how he confuses the beat of t... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness â€Å"Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision-he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath: The horror! The horror!† What horror is Kurtz recounting as his final words? Truths lie inside the inner soul of all human beings, it is just a matter of when and where they will come out. Kurtz choose to let his be known as his passing words. An epiphany, a passing glimpse, the realization of what he has created and destroyed, willingly, or blindly going about hacking through the jungle blindfolded, searching for something of extrinsic importance. The narrator of Heart of Darkness never lets the reader know what Kurtz was speaking about. I believe Conrad wanted his audience to judge for themselves the importance of Kurtz’s words. Finding literal, as well as deeper meanings, in the novel becomes very apparent when basing the context of Kurtz’s words from a thematic standpoint. His word’s can be broken down on three levels: the first, dealing with the obvious literally sense of horror representing all the dead Africans, who died at the hands of the Kurtz in his lusty quest for ivory; the second, delves into an important theme relating to the book, which is human savagery, Kurtz must have realized he had become what he hated most; Lastly, on a abstract level, his finally word’s would have represented the society of European Imperialism that had molded Kurtz and formed him into a by-product of the mixture, which culminated together to create colonial, imperialistic attitudes. It is shear terror to imagine the magnitude of the scale on which atrocities of death, murder, and genocide had taken place against the Africans. Death is a very silent, dirty scene. Nobody has ever been able to recount their tale of death, for no doorway has been found that any person can use to return. Kurtz’... Free Essays on Heart of Darkness Abstract This paper introduces and discusses the book "Heart of Darkness," by Joseph Conrad. Specifically, it analyzes the role of women in this novella. The paper looks at how women are represented and what sort of comments are made about women "in general". Women in "Heart of Darkness" play an important and distinctive role in the tale. They represent civilization (and the lack of it) far away in the jungles of Africa, where the "darkness" lies in wait for every man. From The Paper "The African woman in the novel serves another purpose. She is totally opposite of The Intended, and of what "perfect" women are supposed to be back home in civilization. She is a leader, she is strong, and so she is infinitely frightening to the men. "Only the barbarous and superb woman did not so much as flinch, and stretched tragically her bare arms after us over the sombre and glittering river" (Conrad 146). She is also proud and "wild and gorgeous" (Conrad 135), which are adjectives Conrad never uses to portray the women back home. She represents the wild beauty of the jungle, and how it can never be tamed – not by the colonists and not by the Europeans. This African woman shows the men of the novel what a woman can do, and because of that, they find her "barbarous" and frightening, and would kill her if they get the chance. She not only represents the beauty of the jungle, she represents a woman who men cannot control, and so she is even more dangerous to them. The fact that she appears so briefly in the novel shows how Conrad ultimately dismissed her, and by dismissing her, he dismisses all women everywhere."... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness As the Heart of Darkness snakes its way into the savage shadows of the African continent, Joseph Conrad exposes a psycho-geography of the collective unconscious in the entangling metaphoric realities of the serpentine Congo. Conrad’s novella descends into the unknowable darkness at the heart of Africa, taking its narrator, Marlow, on an underworld journey of individuation, a modern odyssey toward the center of the Self and the center of the Earth. Ego dissolves into soul as, in the interior, Marlow encounters his double in the powerful image of ivory-obsessed Kurtz, the dark shadow of European imperialism. The dark meditation is graced by personifications of anima in Kurtz’ black goddess, the savagely magnificent consort of the underworld, and in his porcelain -skinned Persephone, innocent intended of the upperworld. Though â€Å"Dr. Jung’s discoveries were not known to Conrad, â€Å" (Hayes, 43) who wrote this master work between 1898 and 1899, Heart of Darkne ss presents a literary metaphor of Jungian psychology. This paper explores the dark territory of Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as metaphor for the Jungian concepts of the personal and the collective unconscious, as a journey of individuation, a meeting with the anima, an encounter with the shadow, and a descent into the mythic underworld. Like Conrad’s Marlow, who is propelled toward his African destiny despite ample warning and foreboding, I have been drawn beyond the classic analysis of the Heart of Darkness, embarking down an uncharted tributary, scouting parallels between Marlow’s tale and Jung’s own journeys to Africa, and seeking murky insight into the physical and the metaphorical impact of the dark continent on the language and the landscape of depth psychology. â€Å"Africa,† wrote Graham Greene, â€Å"will always be the Africa in the Victorian atlas, the blank unexplored continent in the shape of the human heart.† The African heart described by Greene â€Å"acquired ... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Submitting to Symbolism Every great author posses the ability to create a novel deeply woven in symbolism and subliminal messages. Underneath the literal journey encountered in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness lies a tale saturated with subtle, yet, significant imagery that brings forth the true meaning of the novella. Throughout Heart of Darkness Conrad uses a plethora of simple colors, objects, and places to convey multifaceted images and ideas. His fine execution of the tools of the English language allows him to quickly lure the reader aboard the Nellie and not release him until the horror is over. Although the interpretation of symbols in the Heart of Darkness is elaborate, due to their simplicity they are often overlooked. An overriding series of symbols in Heart of Darkness is the ongoing contrast of white and black, dark and light, and respectively holding representations of good and evil. Amongst most literature white/light relates to a civilized community and black/dark denotes savagery. However, Conrad often depicts many things usually associated with light to be dark in coincidence with the glittering light shed on dark images. Conrad illustrates the wrath of Europe, â€Å"And this also has been one of the darkest places of the earth.† (Conrad 18) Furthermore, Conrad's frequent symbolic combination of life and death is a parallel to light and dark, echoing the fact that the two must exist simultaneously - there cannot be without the other. Blatant, but often passed over is the symbolism of the number three in Heart of Darkness. First, notice that the book is divided into three chapters. From there Conrad only lets Marlow break from the story three times to let the unnamed narrator speak. As the journey through the Congo progresses it halts its journey at three stations-Outer, Central, and Inner. The triads do not end here, but persist through the characters in the novella. Though they play an integral role in He... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Heart of Darkness Response Paper â€Å"Heart of Darkness† is a very involved story, which takes place on a mission into the hearts of Africa. The use of imagery in â€Å"Heart of Darkness† gives the story another dimension of insight. Joseph Conrad’s use of imagery is so compelling because everything in the story symbolizes, alludes to, or allegorizes something in some way. As William Rogers II from the San Diego State University states, â€Å"Yet, as Wilfred Dowden’s recent study of Conradian imagery concludes, the some 1,100 words of the unnamed narrator that precede Marlow’s tale are not merely an accessible lead in to the subsequent complexity of narration and theme but are carefully composed to establish imagery and tonality for the entire work.† (Rogers, page 42) Joseph Conrad uses imagery in his descriptions of the surroundings, with the use of light and darkness and other objects in â€Å"Heart of Darkness† to better express his ideas throughout the story. One of the main themes in â€Å"Heart of Darkness† is colonialism in Africa. During the time of this story Europeans were invading Africa and enslaving the people who lived there. Throughout the story Conrad gives references to this. For example, â€Å"I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron collar on his neck, and all were connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking.†(Page 280) Conrad also uses imagery to highlight the darkness of these acts. For example when the narrator gives a description of the areas surrounding him he uses darkness, death, and words of dejection to explain the images he sees. â€Å"They were not enemies, they were not criminals, there were nothing earthly now, - nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confused in the greenish gloom.† (Page 281) Also the author uses the words â€Å"heart of darkness† to describe his surr oundings. Thes... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Heart of Darkness The imagery of dark and light is never clearly defined but the linkage between the two in this novel is obviously clear. Light indicates self-knowledge, civilization and enlightenment. The darkness is in the title and also the major theme of this book. Darkness represents wilderness, evil and greed. Conrad tells us about the nature of the human’s heart and how it turns from good to bad. Since this novel leans toward the dark more than light, the dark will be our focus of attention. Conrad leaves the meaning of this darkness hazy on purpose. In clearer terms, you can’t easily reduce the meaning to a couple of sentences. He (Conrad) hints at and suggests the meaning which was meant for the â€Å"civilized† back home (and us) to figure out on their own. These qualities I think was meant to make this event (colonization of the Congo) linger in the readers mind and make them feel the creepiness of the whole ordeal. One might think that darkness in this novel refers to the Congo, the African people who live there, how they lived in ignorance, behaved savagely and brutally. This all might be true and to a certain degree should be true. So far darkness is used as a symbol of ignorance and primitiveness. Darkness could be clearer to us if we looked at it from a different angle. Darkness could be a symbol of the white man’s heart, which claims to be an agent of European light that comes to the Congo to save the Congo, though in reality it is the white man who kills the Congo. It is the white man that enslaves the habitants of the Congo meanwhile criticizing them as uncivilized and savages. Ironic, coming from the mouth of a slave owner. It is also the white man who is in the Congo to make money, following the greed of his heart, which is evil and thus dark. This all comes from the heart. The heart that starts out good (for most) and from the evilness of greed slowly turns black and wretched. To sum up, two concepts of... Free Essays on Heart of Darkness In Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, there is a great interpretation of the feelings of the characters and uncertainties of the Congo. Although Africa, nor the Congo are ever really referred to, the Thames river is mentioned as support. This intricate story reveals much symbolism due to Conrad's theme based on the lies and good and evil, which interact together in every man. Today, of course, the situation has changed. Most literate people know that by probing into the heart of the jungle Conrad was trying to convey an impression about the heart of man, and his tale is universally read as one of the first symbolic masterpieces of English prose (Graver,28). In any event, this story recognizes primarily on Marlow, its narrator, not about Kurtz or the brutality of Belgian officials. Conrad wrote a brief statement of how he felt the reader should interpret this work: "My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feel-it is above all, to make you see.(Conrad 1897) Knowing that Conrad was a novelist who lived in his work, writing about the experiences were as if he were writing about himself. "Every novel contains an element of autobiography-and this can hardly be denied, since the creator can only explain himself in his creations."(Kimbrough,158) The story is written as seen through Marlow's eyes. Marlow is a follower of the sea. His voyage up the Congo is his first experience in freshwater navigation. He is used as a tool, so to speak, in order for Conrad to enter the story and tell it out of his own philosophical mind. He longs to see Kurtz, in the hope's of appreciating all that Kurtz finds endearing in the African jungle. Marlow does not get the opportunity to see Kurtz until he is so disease-stricken he looks more like death than a person. There are no good looks or health. In the story Marlow remarks that Kurtz resembles ... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness Marlow’s Identification with Kurtz and his Illness In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Kurtz’s character has a very strong influence on the story. He is not the protagonist however. This man is Marlow. Now, the dynamic between Marlow and Kurtz is a very important relationship. Kurtz was insane, however, Marlow still was strangely attracted to him and all surrounding him. Throughout the story, Marlow could identify with Kurtz and his illness; they were two very alike people, even if on opposite ends of the spectrum. From the beginning, Kurtz is Marlow’s â€Å"choice of nightmares†. As soon as his name is mentioned, Marlow is bent on finding this man. Idealistic thoughts frolic in the seaman’s head as he gladly takes the position of captain down the river. No one else seems as enthusiastic however, which is the first clue that Marlow and Kurtz share something special. The manager in fact, wants nothing more than to eliminate Kurtz all together. â€Å"We will not be free from unfair competition until one of these fellows is hanged as an example† (76). In this same scene, a bit more is learned concerning Kurtz’s illness. Apparently, Kurtz has gone from the emissary of light who wanted â€Å"each station [to be] a beacon on the road towards better things, a centre for trade of course, but also for humanizing, improving, [and] instructing† (76) to a man who shuns all humanity and keeps to himself â€Å"Clear this poor devil out of the country†¦ I had rather be alone than have the kind of men you can dispose! of with me† (75). This is all the more appealing to Marlow who shares some of Kurtz’s ideals. Marlow respects the savages, even identifying with them. He describes to the company on board the Thymes cruise that â€Å"†¦they were not inhuman†¦what thrilled you was just the thought of their humanity †¦the thought of your remote kinship with this†¦uproar†¦if you were man enough you would admit†¦that ... Free Essays on Heart Of Darkness His flowing English seemed to be derived from a dictionary compiled by a lunatic. Lord Jim Is the difficulty with Heart of Darkness the portentous mysteriousness so regretted by E. M. Forster and F. R. Leavis, or with its being, in the author's words, "too symbolic or rather symbolic at all"? Or ... or is the horror of Heart of Darkness the apparently endless circulation of its signs in lies and irony? In as much as the story raises questions of lies, hypocrisy, and ambiguity, it concerns the duplicity of language, the preeminent medium of the existence and expression of those conditions. As the imagined written record of an imagined oral yarn, some distinction between "sound" and "unsound" method looms large. And as the product of a fluently trilingual author obsessed with ambiguity, hypocrisy, and lieshis own not least Conrad's Congo-book solicits watchful reading. The more one reads of Conrad's life, the more one finds in the celebrated words from the Preface to The Nigger of the "Narcissus" (1897 [NN]) another schizoid instance of someone addressing the self in disguise: "My task which I am trying to achieve is, by the power of the written word, to make you hear, to make you feelit is, before all, to make you see" (59). Brave words these, especially when one sees the author argue shortly thereafter that "[h]alf the words we use have no meaning whatever and of the other half each man understands each word after the fashion of his own folly and conceit" (14 Jan. 1898, Collected Letters [CL] 2.17). "If I succeed, you shall find," continues the Preface, offering, in addition, "perhaps, also that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask" (59). Evidently Conrad had already forgotten his dictum of the previous year that "the truth is ... that one's own personality is only a ridiculous and aimless masquerade of something hopelessly unknow n" (24 Mar. 1896, CL 1.267). But he had a strong reasons for seeing that he for...