Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness: A Postcolonial Study

Abstract

This study is intended for readers who are interested in literature, its relation to colonialism and its wake. It has been structured around a series of studies and researches in the history of colonization and the position of literature and in particular the rise of the genre of novel. It studies the links and relation of literature, history and politics. Like most books in this field it contains much that is non-literary and engages with various issues in history, politics and critical theories. In choosing to centre this study on literary fiction and its relation to imperial and colonial activities, it has not desired to value the nature of literature or even discuss the political side of post-colonial studies; rather it has preferred to raise questions about those very issues. It has also pointed out to the biased role of the modern media in distorting and turning a deaf ear to the suppressed marginal voices. In relation to this issue, the study has given a fair amount of space to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, which is a very unique piece of literary novel that can be judged in relation to the imperialism and its practices during the last century. Keywords: Josef Conrad; Genre; Postcolonial; Imperialism; Media