Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

Joseph Conrad  Born December 3, 1857 in Berdichev, Russian Empire to Polish parents  Died August 3, 1924 in Bishopsbourne, England  Wrote primarily in English, but always considered himself Polish  Major Works: Heart of Darkness, Typhoon, “The Secret Sharer”

Essential Questions  How does historical context play into the reader’s perception?  What is “evil?”  How do authors use archetypes (the river, light, darkness) to communicate their message? Where do these archetypes fit in our world?  Where does the journey of the mind take us?

Heart of Darkness  Heart of Darkness is modernist fiction Questions the future of humanity. Speaks of the inner self and consciousness. No longer about nature and being. Progress viewed as cold machinery and increased capitalism, which alienated the individual and led to loneliness. Readers often left without a beginning middle and end.

Heart of Darkness  Modernist fiction (cont.) Usually written in first person (concern for self) Stream of consciousness: a form of interior monologue which claims as its goal the representation of a lead consciousness in a narrative

Controversy of Heart of Darkness Chinua Achebe called Conrad a “thoroughgoing racist.” Writing of Heart of Darkness that it is “a novel which celebrates [...] dehumanisation, which depersonalises a portion of the human race.”

Major Concepts of the Psyche

 Psyche  In psychology, the psyche is the totality of the human mind, conscious, and unconscious.  Freud believed the psyche was divided into three parts: id, ego, and superego.

Major Concepts of the Psyche  The Ego (or I) Initially the ego is “that part of the id which has been modified by the direct influence of the external world” (Freud 1923). The ego develops in order to mediate between the unrealistic id and the external real world. It is the decision making component of personality Ideally the ego works by reason whereas the id is chaotic and totally unreasonable. The ego operates according to the reality principle, working our realistic ways of satisfying the id’s demands, often compromising or postponing satisfaction to avoid negative consequences of society. The ego considers social realities and norms, etiquette and rules in deciding how to behave. Like the id, the ego seeks pleasure and avoids pain but unlike the id the ego is concerned with devising a realistic strategy to obtain pleasure. Freud made the analogy of the id being the horse while the ego is the rider. The ego is "like a man on horseback, who has to hold in check the superior strength of the horse"

Major Concepts of the Psyche  The id (or it) The id is the primitive and instinctive component of personality. It consists of all the inherited (i.e. biological) components of personality, including the sex (life) instinct – Eros (which contains the libido), and aggressive (death) instinct. The id is the impulsive (and unconscious) part of our psyche which responds directly and immediately to the instincts. The personality of the newborn child is all id and only later does it develop ego and super-ego. The id demands immediate satisfaction and when this happens we experience pleasure, when it is denied we experience “unpleasure” or pain. The id is not affected by reality, logic or the everyday world.

Major Concepts of the Psyche  The Superego (or above I) The superego incorporates the values and morals of society which are learned from one's parents and others. It develops around the age of 3 – 5 during the phallic stage of psychosexual development. The superego's function is to control the id's impulses, especially those which society forbids, such as sex and aggression. It also has the function of persuading the ego to turn to moralistic goals rather than simply realistic ones and to strive for perfection. The superego consists of two systems: The conscience and the ideal self. The conscience can punish the ego through causing feelings of guilt. For example, if the ego gives in to id demands, the superego may make the person feel bad though guilt.

Archetypes Archetype: Image or symbol that is so common or important that it seems to have universal significance. Many archetypes appear in classical myths (for example, a journey to the underworld, a trickster, an overbearing older brother, wicked step-mother, etc.)

Archetypes  Other common archetypes: Situations: The Quest, The Journey, The Fall, Death and Rebirth, Battle Between Good and Evil Symbols: Colors (white, black, red, etc.), Numbers (3,6,7, etc.), Light vs. Darkness, Supernatural Intervention Characters: Mentors, Scapegoat, Friendly Beast, Hero, Damsel in Distress, Temptress