Critical responses to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

Abstract:

This essay will revolve around the critical reception of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The focus will be on three primary sources: firstly, the early critical reception and how the novella was received when it was originally published in 1902, secondly, Chinua's famous critique in 1977 when he called Conrad a racist and condemned both the author and the novella, and thirdly, Said's defence and contextualization of Conrad’s novella in 1992. The essay will explore how the critics have been influenced and from what standpoints they have entered into the debate on Conrad and show how the discussion has changed over time. Furthermore, it will show that the early responses ignore the ‘race’ aspect because ‘race-thinking’ was seen as something natural. It will also explain why Achebe might feel so strongly against Conrad. He is after all fighting for a strong African identity after the colonies gained their independence. Said defends and contextualizes Conrad as a creature of his time. Finally, the essay will discuss and contrast the critics, concluding that each critique is highly influenced by the time-period in which it was written.