Heart of Darkness:

Lecture notes

Quick Write: Generate 10-20 Questions

about Heart of Darkness.

Close reading
questions about
what the text says

Open-ended questions
about what the authors
style + texts meaning

(answer can be found

right there in the
text)

Ex: On page 9, who is

Fresleven and what
happens to him?

Ex. On p. 10-11, why

does Conrad make
multiple references to
two women knitting
black wool? What is
the allusion? How does
this allusion relate to
the central themes of
the text?

Heart of Darkness
Lecture
Narrative Structure [multi-layered text] + significance of
allusions in Part I

Draw & Label the Plot

Triangle

Heart of Darkness: Structure

Narrative layers + Conrads purpose
Conrad

creates a multi-layered text

= layers of narrative isolation

increases

the distance between the

main character in the text,
Kurtz, and the reader

First

layer of isolation: Conrads

use of his experiences as the freshwater commander of a steamboat

Reader has to work through 3

distinct narrative layers
to

reach the truth about Kurtz

2nd

layer: told from a narrator

listening to Marlows story

3rd

layer: Marlow as he relays a

story, the meaning of which he
himself admittedly does not fully
understand

The reader is left with

Marlow

himself does not fully

understand the meaning of his
experience.

His

stories are inconclusive

experiences.

As

readers, we are left to draw our

own conclusions about Kurtz

Threes
The

text is divided into three distinct

parts

Part

I: Toward the Heart of Darkness

Part

II: In the Heart of Darkness

Part

III: Out of the Heart of Darkness

Into the Darkness:

Consider the Allusions
1.

Two women knitting black wool

2.

Morituri te salutant

3.

Adieu, not Auivoir

Two women knitted black wool

feverishly. (10)
Suggests the Fates of Mythology
Knitting his (Marlows) FATE
Sense of forebodingevilnot half of the people return.

She

glanced at me above the glasses. The swift and

indifferent placidity of that look troubled me. (11)

An

eerie feeling came over me. She seemed

uncanny and fateful. Often far away there I thought
of these two, guarding the door of Darkness,
knitting black wool
as for a warm pall, one introducing, introducing continuously to the
unknown, the other scrutinising the cheery and foolish faces with
unconcerned old eyes. (11)

Ave! Morituri te
salutant.
Hail!

We who are about to die salute

you.
Proclaimed

by Roman gladiators as
they marched past the emperor.

Adieu
Note

word choice here: Conrad

writes, Du calme, du calme, adieu.
(12)

Adieu,
Adieu
even

not auvoir

= goodbye forever

if you return, you will not be

the same man

Part II In the Heart of

Darkness
1.

Read + annotate Part II (pp. 31-54)

What to annotate? Read study guide first.

Annotate for characterization, theme, symbol, motif (light vs.

darkness), literary devices, etc.

Choose

at least 10 questions for Part II & write

responses in the study guide packet.

Vocabulary

Quiz 1 Tuesday
(first half of the vocabulary list provided)

*Finish reading + annotating by Monday, 11/30