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Heart of Darkness: Character Studies
Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (1899) is one of the most important literary works of the early twentieth century. It has provoked much critical debate, on issues such as fin de siècle doubt and pessimism, European colonialism, racism, and misogyny. Engaging with the novel's characters is crucial to understanding its complexity and its critical history.
This study an overview of the novel, including an account of its late nineteenth-century context discussions of the narrative structure and the narrators; - chapters analyzing in detail the key characters in relation to the text's themes, issues and historical context; engagement with a range of literary criticism and theory; a conclusion reminding students of the potential of detailed character analysis and close critical reading; a guide to secondary texts and a comprehensive bibliography.
This study an overview of the novel, including an account of its late nineteenth-century context discussions of the narrative structure and the narrators; - chapters analyzing in detail the key characters in relation to the text's themes, issues and historical context; engagement with a range of literary criticism and theory; a conclusion reminding students of the potential of detailed character analysis and close critical reading; a guide to secondary texts and a comprehensive bibliography.
128 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2008
1 person want to read
About the author
Ashley Chantler
20 books1 followerDr Ashley Chantler is Senior Lecturer in English Literature and Programme Leader of MA Creative Writing: Writing and Publishing Fiction. He has research and teaching expertise in English Literature, Creative Writing, editing, and publishing.
He is founding co-director of the International Flash Fiction Association, co-editor of Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine and Flash: The International Short-Short Story Press, and founding director of the University's creative-writing hub Pandora's Box.
He is founding co-director of the International Flash Fiction Association, co-editor of Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine and Flash: The International Short-Short Story Press, and founding director of the University's creative-writing hub Pandora's Box.
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October 18, 2024
Out of some of the great Conrad scholars - Cedric Watts with his fantastic introductions and analyses in book format and Nidesh Lawtoo with his deeply psychological papers - Chantler's compendious book is, in my opinion, one of the more refreshing overall looks on "Heart of Darkness".
With original thoughts and structured, well-compartmentalized reasoning, this study focuses on the characters in Conrad's most famous and contentious work. It felt as a concise, yet comprehensive story; a deep-dive yet pleasantly followable all the way through Marlow's ambiguous narrative.
Some studies on Conrad unfortunately contain as their prominent feature one that is ubiquitous throughout Conrad's own prose - impressionism - which I think is not always suitable for a literary analysis. Chantler's work was thankfully not one of them.
This is an essential reading for those who wish to comprehend the frame narrative and its intricacies, along with textual analysis fluently intertwining with other scholars' work on Conrad. Some advice on general literary criticism can be found as well. It contains a comprehensive bibliography and is thereby a great source for further reading.
With original thoughts and structured, well-compartmentalized reasoning, this study focuses on the characters in Conrad's most famous and contentious work. It felt as a concise, yet comprehensive story; a deep-dive yet pleasantly followable all the way through Marlow's ambiguous narrative.
Some studies on Conrad unfortunately contain as their prominent feature one that is ubiquitous throughout Conrad's own prose - impressionism - which I think is not always suitable for a literary analysis. Chantler's work was thankfully not one of them.
This is an essential reading for those who wish to comprehend the frame narrative and its intricacies, along with textual analysis fluently intertwining with other scholars' work on Conrad. Some advice on general literary criticism can be found as well. It contains a comprehensive bibliography and is thereby a great source for further reading.
Displaying 1 of 1 review