Concetti Chiave
- Born in Poland in 1857, he spent his childhood in exile due to his father's involvement in Polish independence movements against Russia.
- He had a nautical career, starting as a mariner and eventually becoming a captain, with travels to the Far East, Australia, and the Congo.
- Witnessing atrocities in Congo shocked him, leading to his decision to leave the sea and begin writing, focusing on exploring the human mind and society.
- His writing style incorporated flashbacks, multiple narrators, and a refusal of the omniscient perspective, reflecting his belief in relativism.
- Though Polish was his native language, he chose to write in English, finding it suited to expressing his complex views on life, using intricate language and syntax.
born in 1857 in Poland, but lived his childhood in exile since his father partecipated on indipendent movements of Poland from Russia
nautical carreer: fond of the see...> worked as mariner and then as a captain.
Travelled a lot: Far East, Australia (where he learnt english) and Congo.
Experiences in Congo
He experienced the atrocities happening in Congo: people were exploited till death.
Shocked by what he saw in Congo, decided to abandon the sea (even tho was devoted to his job) and started writing.
use of flashback: to create the illusion of life being lived by a number of very different people at the same time several points of view/ different narrators: life is experienced by people in different ways--> he had the idea of relativism and refused the omniscient narrator. For this reason he used somtimes the strategy of writing in the form of letter: expressed personal experiences.
Writers's task: not to amuse or teach but explore/analyse the mind of people-->Give his own view of life through characters: deep analysis of society.
Language and Style
Lenguage: his native tongue was Polish and his second lenguage was French. Anyway he decided to write in English because provided him the ideal expressions for his complex vision of life---> the fluid form of his novels represent the complexity of man's consciousness.
He used a variety of adjectives and complex syntax. The dialogues are idiomatic, with lots of exclamation marks.
in his life: double nationality, mixed social identity.
In his works:double meaning of the title ''Heart of Darkness'': the dark of the core of Congo.
the novel consists in three parts: Marlow is a sailor sailing from London. He talks about his first commission for a Belgian company involved in the ivory trade in the Congo.
His task was to carry raw ivory from the heart of the continent to the coast where it could be loaded on ships bound for Europe.
Strange events happening: a french gun-boat firing into the jungle, though apparently there was no enemy.
He then went to the Company Station near the coast where he was shocked by the cruelty of the colonial explotation.
There he knew Kurtz's name: Kurtz was a company agent who managed to provide more ivory then the others, but he got lost in the jungle. For this reason an expedition was arranged to bring Kurtz back to civilzation. During the voyage Marlow met several people who referred as a ''very remarkable person'', but then he found out that he was not a good person and exploited natives. Furthermore, he was trying to suppress their costumes, considered ''barbarian''. Marlow finally met Kurtz and succeded in taking him on board. He said something about ''unspeakable rites'' in the heart of the jungle, but before Marlowe could ask him about them, Kurtz died whispering the words ''the horror, the horror''.
When Marlow returned to Belgium told Kurt’s fiancee that he wisphered her name while he was dying, because Marlowe wanted to protect her from Kurtz's darkness.
Domande da interrogazione
- What prompted the individual to transition from a nautical career to writing?
- How did the individual's linguistic background influence his writing style?
- What narrative techniques did the individual employ in his works?
- What is the significance of the title "Heart of Darkness"?
- How did the individual portray the character Kurtz in "Heart of Darkness"?
Shocked by the atrocities he witnessed in Congo, the individual, despite his devotion to the sea, decided to abandon his maritime career and began writing to explore and analyze the human mind and society.
Although his native language was Polish and his second language was French, he chose to write in English as it provided the ideal expressions for his complex vision of life, using a variety of adjectives and complex syntax to reflect the complexity of human consciousness.
He used flashbacks and multiple narrators to create the illusion of life being lived by different people simultaneously, reflecting his idea of relativism and rejecting the omniscient narrator, sometimes writing in the form of letters to express personal experiences.
The title "Heart of Darkness" holds a double meaning, referring both to the dark core of the Congo and the darkness within human nature, as explored through the character Kurtz and the colonial exploitation depicted in the novel.
Kurtz is portrayed as a company agent who initially appears remarkable but is revealed to exploit natives and suppress their customs, ultimately dying after uttering "the horror, the horror," symbolizing the darkness within him and the colonial enterprise.
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