In my opinion, Heart of Darkness can fit into the genre of Gothic Literature. The book has a dark tone and setting which is common to Gothic novels. Even if there is not a castle or older home, the mysteries of the forest and the Congo give the same effect. Another common theme of Gothic literature is madness. Marlow has an abnormal obsession with finding Kurtz, enough to go against his manager to be on Kurtz’s side. Kurtz himself is even crazy, rambling on though his battle with disease and sickness. There are also some tragic deaths in the novel. For example, the cannibal helmsman gets stabbed and falls in a pool of blood right in front of Marlow. Many descriptions throughout the book depict death, and sound almost supernatural. The ivory trade is described by Marlow as almost a god, saying “The word ‘ivory’ rang in the air, was whispered, was sighed. You would think they were praying to it. A taint of imbecile rapacity blew through it all, like a whiff from some corpse” (Conrad). The dark and creepy descriptions add to the gothic mood of Heart of Darkness.
Great post! You touched base on many elements in the book that align with Gothic literature. I think you could have added more detail in your post.
ReplyDeleteYes! I loved that you highlighted the madness within Marlow and his obsessive tendencies. I find that to be a staple of Gothics. The protagonists never seem to be ones whom just give up and always have strong wills. They usually follow through with their own plans even in the face of uncertainty and tragic deaths like the one the helmsman had.
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