Book Club: Exploring the Heart of Darkness

Our Book Club gathered at Hanami in February for a thought-provoking discussion on Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Nigel introduced the novel, reminiscing about his first encounter with it many years ago and the lasting impression it had on him. His enthusiasm set the tone for a deep and engaging conversation.

This short novel follows Marlow, a sailor at a loose end who takes a job piloting a steamboat up the River Congo in the Belgian Congo, towards the end of the nineteenth century. His task is to reach an outpost and make contact with an official there called Kurtz, who is shrouded in mystery and regarded with awe by both Europeans and natives—but we are never clear about why Marlow needs to go there. The river is surrounded by dense and threatening jungle and he has to overcome many delays and obstacles. The book has a large autobiographical element, as Conrad had made almost exactly the same journey at the start of his years of seafaring. It's framed as a story within a story, with Marlow recounting his experiences to a group of men aboard a ship on the Thames. 

There was general agreement that the book is masterfully written and deeply atmospheric. However, we also found it enigmatic, with most of the events and characters being far from clearly spelled out. Many commentators have found the novel racist, and certainly the native people are portrayed as inscrutable and often dangerous. But Conrad seems to have been less racist than average at the time, and very emphatic about the undesirability of empire and colonialism. He draws parallels between European colonialists in Africa and the Roman invasion of Britain. And we felt that the "Darkness" of the title referred just as much to the effect on the mentality of the Europeans there as to the continent itself.

The book can also be seen as misogynistic, and again it's undeniably a male-dominated narrative, with few female characters. Two European women make brief appearances. Marlow's aunt is said to live in a dream world with no concept of reality, yet she is the only person who apparently effortlessly has the contacts to find Marlow the job with a Belgian company. Kurtz's "intended", the only other significant female character, is a fragile cipher who has to be protected from the grim reality of Kurtz’s actions and fate.

In Heart of Darkness, everything is implicit and half-described, but the atmosphere is powerful. It was certainly an innovative book and was generally admired even at the time. We were all glad to have read it.

Next month: A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson on Tuesday, 11 March