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Video SparkNotes: Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness summary

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  • Опубліковано 22 лют 2011
  • Check out Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness Video SparkNote: Quick and easy Heart of Darkness synopsis, analysis, and discussion of major characters and themes in the novel. For more Heart of Darkness resources, go to www.sparknotes.com/lit/heart. For a translation of the entire book into modern English, go to No Fear Literature at www.sparknotes.com/nofear/lit/.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,1 тис.

  • @angie-noh8
    @angie-noh8 3 роки тому +2080

    i listened to the audio book, i read every chapter summery, and i watched this video. i will literally do everything but read this book

    • @chloeanne4473
      @chloeanne4473 3 роки тому +109

      BHAHAA STOP THIS IS ME RIGHT NOW.

    • @craniax3651
      @craniax3651 3 роки тому +12

      Hey if you read this i have book presentation on this book would you mind going into deeper details with me about this book

    • @jamesholeman7594
      @jamesholeman7594 3 роки тому +38

      Right? It’s so thin and unimposing, but an ex told me it’s her favorite book. So here I am, out of spite-ish.

    • @angie-noh8
      @angie-noh8 3 роки тому +3

      @@jamesholeman7594 i’m not a fan but then again i didn’t technically read it

    • @jamesholeman7594
      @jamesholeman7594 3 роки тому +5

      @@angie-noh8 the anti-fan league just wrote a charter 😂

  • @shuxiongbao2535
    @shuxiongbao2535 10 років тому +1587

    The animator of these series should write graphic novels

    • @CockatielPony
      @CockatielPony 6 років тому +49

      Animator? this video doesn't have any animation in it only illistrations

    • @masonhill775
      @masonhill775 4 роки тому +3

      CockatielPony animation is just illustrations

    • @eclipsewrecker
      @eclipsewrecker 3 роки тому +9

      @@masonhill775 “just?” I don’t think you know what the word animation means.

    • @Brandonhayhew
      @Brandonhayhew 3 роки тому +6

      Animation is far more expansive then illustration

    • @matthewmorgan7755
      @matthewmorgan7755 3 роки тому

      Nah

  • @johnhein2539
    @johnhein2539 5 років тому +168

    The narrator didn’t talk about the best part. When Marlo told his Fiancé that Kurtz’s last words were her name. Her eyes light up and she jumps jubilantly in pure ecstasy. It disturbs Marlo as he realizes it’s the exact same love the tribal members expressed in their devotion. A link between civilized and uncivilized.

  • @abbasjafiya21
    @abbasjafiya21 6 років тому +2430

    I'm a Black African, Nigerian to be precise, and The Heart Of Darkness is my favorite of all time. I deliberately avoided it because of what many African and western intellectuals said. About it being racist and what not but I will say the following things. 1.the Book was published in 1899 so we all know what the attitudes were then. 2. Marlo is definitely not racist. He expressed allot of empathy for the Black Characters in the story and endearing terms like "beautiful" & "peaceful" etc are used to describe his observations of them. 3. Africa was indeed dark, especially the Congo and considering the Cannibalism,Human Sacrifice etc that was going on... if you take modern 21st century Africans to the Setting the book describes,they'd probably have worse views than Marlo,Kurtz,The Russian and Conrad himself all combined. 4. It's a book about the Human Condition. The Darkness within us all, our susceptibility to Power and the tendency in us all to pave the road to Hell with our good intentions. So let's get over all the grievance-mongering and let's enjoy this great book with it's wonderful lessons all races can learn from and enjoy. Peace !

    • @rainmanslim4611
      @rainmanslim4611 5 років тому +87

      Very insightful, thank you for sharing

    • @JarmaraFalconer
      @JarmaraFalconer 5 років тому +50

      Thank you for your interesting insight from your point of view.

    • @kikikutie12
      @kikikutie12 5 років тому +83

      It's definitely one of those books that people get hung up on the racism of the time period rather than the real message of the book.

    • @aleccourtney8486
      @aleccourtney8486 5 років тому +34

      abbasjafiya21 i find your view refreshing, as a white american i find the burning of "rascist" books and destroying southern confederate statues just proves how fearful white America is about confronting our past so as not to repeat it , i bet many who burn crosses were there tearing down statues of confederate leaders

    • @kamenridernephilim
      @kamenridernephilim 5 років тому +30

      There is a malaise and stagnation hanging over society and culture. One of the causes of it are the politically correct academics that push Marxism, socialism, and communism. In turn it produces people that fail to understand where they came from, where they are, and where are they going. They know only what the party tells and cannot take things for what they are. Their grievance mongering as you put is part of the outrage mob and band of useful idiots.

  • @Galvion1980
    @Galvion1980 4 роки тому +111

    Fun fact: In "King Kong - Skull Island", Tom Hiddleston's character is named Conrad after Joseph Conrad, to emphasize the anti-colonialist themes of the film.

    • @rogue7723
      @rogue7723 Рік тому +1

      Cool. _Apocalypse Now_ is also heavily inspired by this novel.

    • @amadeosendiulo2137
      @amadeosendiulo2137 10 місяців тому

      And Joseph Conrad (or Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) is named after Konrad from the Polish romantic book ‘Forefather’s Eve III’ by Adam Mickiewicz.

  • @astronautsingh8793
    @astronautsingh8793 5 років тому +2244

    When you're too lazy to even read the sparknotes

  • @kimitursi762
    @kimitursi762 5 років тому +677

    You know a book is confusing when you can't even follow the sparknotes summary

    • @ashton8540
      @ashton8540 3 роки тому +13

      Have you seen the movie apocalypse now?

    • @ChloePricesNumberOneSimp
      @ChloePricesNumberOneSimp 2 місяці тому +1

      @@ashton8540 I recognized "the horror, the horror" line from that movie. Was it based on this book?

    • @watchagainsoon
      @watchagainsoon Місяць тому

      @@ChloePricesNumberOneSimp Yes. It was!

    • @jaleelvairankode331
      @jaleelvairankode331 29 днів тому

      T😞 ​@@ashton8540

  • @rjwest5392
    @rjwest5392 4 роки тому +42

    Joseph Conrad's native language was Polish. He learnt English in his 20s. He wrote in an exquisitely clear fashion. At 0:10:00, I was shocked to see that this book is available into "modern English translation". To which I gasp my final "the horror!, the horror!"

  • @sajmaniqbaler
    @sajmaniqbaler 8 років тому +2476

    ap lit is not lit

    • @Vdeezy123
      @Vdeezy123 7 років тому +29

      me currently...

    • @esteffanyayala
      @esteffanyayala 7 років тому +3

      Sajid Iqbal lol me right now

    • @TehBluPanda
      @TehBluPanda 7 років тому +2

      Sajid Iqbal Same ;-;

    • @chloejimenez9484
      @chloejimenez9484 7 років тому +2

      Honestly

    • @Moon-ut7fq
      @Moon-ut7fq 6 років тому +30

      Yeah i was suppose to read this book over break and couldnt get a good idea of how the story works. Now i am scared to go to my english class because we're going to write an argumentative essay on this book /:

  • @lol0lol0lol
    @lol0lol0lol 5 років тому +80

    I’m trying to watch the video but I keep scrolling through the comments seeing people who had suffered as I currently am

  • @oliverallen5324
    @oliverallen5324 4 роки тому +50

    "It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. "
    -Colonel Kurtz, 5th Group Special Forces
    Apocalypse Now(1979)

  • @tristanking8821
    @tristanking8821 10 років тому +277

    I find this funny; the only reason I'm watching this is because the book was so short but long enough that I couldn't read it before the test so I watched this. Otherwise the book I had was about 70 pages so I don't know why anyone wouldn't just sit down and read it since it really only took me about three hours. Overall I skimmed the book first, then carefully analyzed it a second time, then finally I read it normally a third time. Then I watched this and compared it to what I knew. Surprisingly there is still plenty of information I didn't catch when I was reading and this still is a big help. I would recommend to those who haven't read the book yet to watch this about three times then read the book normally and I would think you would find the book much easier to understand if it was confusing. It may be short but there is a great amount of info in it.
    Oh and about the video and the speaker summarizing it. Very well done, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to your summery and thought it meshed together very well therefore letting me easily follow along.

    • @yuggoth69
      @yuggoth69 9 років тому +5

      I just hope your teacher won't recommend Tolstoi's "War and Peace" :)

    • @maryorellana8982
      @maryorellana8982 9 років тому +5

      i tried so hard to read this damn book but Conrad repeats "brooding gloomy" interchangeably way too often...

    • @wilfreddamon1971
      @wilfreddamon1971 4 роки тому

      You may now just be ready for Adam Hochchild's "King Leopold's Ghost"

    • @leighfoulkes7297
      @leighfoulkes7297 4 роки тому

      The problem with Conrad is that English isn't his first language (I think he is Russian) and then add the fact that he is a bit of a modernist too.

    • @NoName-uf6rf
      @NoName-uf6rf 4 роки тому

      Sometimes English teachers pick good books

  • @reeree.360
    @reeree.360 6 років тому +32

    Oh my god thank you so much, it makes so much sense now. I have never had so much trouble reading something for class, and then my AP Lit & Comp online gives me this and I wanna cry

    • @pokhtoonawaaz4295
      @pokhtoonawaaz4295 3 роки тому +2

      Hmmm try to study the whole story in the book text this is of course more interesting than any Short clips...

  • @beardywilson7876
    @beardywilson7876 5 років тому +413

    To describe Heart of Darkness as being about imperialism is seemingly like describing Star Wars as being about space travel. It's the backdrop, not the subject matter.

    • @concorde3980
      @concorde3980 5 років тому +12

      I almost closed the video right away

    • @jennymacallan9071
      @jennymacallan9071 5 років тому +22

      That's a great analogy.

    • @beardywilson7876
      @beardywilson7876 4 роки тому +48

      @Lucy Splendid I'm starting to wonder if we read the same book. Conrad clearly illustrates his contempt for the people who went to Africa to exploit the land and people. Marlow's description of the Eldorado exploration expedition as reckless, cruel and greedy is certainly illustrative of that point and not a solitary example.
      But to say colonialism is the central theme is to miss the point entirely. The central theme really is more how a civilised person who goes into the wilderness with all the altruistic intentions of taming it instead is made wild by it. Very much like Neitzche's point that when you stare into the abyss the abyss stares into you.
      Kurtz, a talented musician, orator writer, went out to Africa with all the best intentions but instead became a savage. And it cannot be said that savage practices were uncommon amongst the natives in the book. Even some of the crew wanted to catch and eat a person.
      That's why Conrad repeatedly refers to "the heart of an impenetrable darkness." The darkness cannot be penetrated. It penetrates those who try.

    • @TryinBin8889
      @TryinBin8889 4 роки тому +2

      Beardy Wilson they didn’t say it was the centeral idea. It is still a concern.

    • @beardywilson7876
      @beardywilson7876 4 роки тому +4

      @@TryinBin8889 "heart of darkness is about imperialism".....the opening statement of the video.....

  • @gog_magpie
    @gog_magpie 5 років тому +43

    That book inspired hell well to make Apocalypse now .
    I think this describes the inner unbalance of consciousness , the subconscious, the ego , the dark self [ the primitive one] and it's journey of how humans are capable of doing things regardless of the initial assumption when the dark self consume

  • @warrenpierce5542
    @warrenpierce5542 5 років тому +22

    Nostromo is another book by Conrad that is very good. Fun fact Nostromo is also the name of the ship in the 1979 movie, Alien.

  • @diego8111996
    @diego8111996 9 років тому +209

    There is a deeper theme to this book: it is that an individual not being able to understand himself & mankind not being able to understand the universe.

    • @jonwilhelm1067
      @jonwilhelm1067 5 років тому +18

      Or maybe it's about a man seeing and understanding others and not liking what he see's because he understands completely.

    • @patthewoodboy
      @patthewoodboy 3 роки тому +1

      @Annie Mouse hes not saying that at all , if you dont understand I am not going to explain , thats for Jon Wilhelm if he wants to.

    • @j.r5159
      @j.r5159 2 роки тому

      @Annie Mouse yea

    • @satan9866
      @satan9866 2 роки тому

      @Annie Mouse I think they were referring to man’s nature, not skin color

  • @stylesalvation
    @stylesalvation 8 років тому +365

    You know it's a bad year already when this book is on my final exam... and the summary doesn't even do it justice. This book is like oatmeal, just plain oatmeal... no sugar and no spice.

    • @Ares_gaming_117
      @Ares_gaming_117 8 років тому +45

      +amszk Sorry not everything in life can produce immense stimulation, just try and take the time to appreciate this intelligent work of art that is this book.

    • @stylesalvation
      @stylesalvation 8 років тому +67

      Funny you say that! After writing my essay for it I've come to appreciate it more. Conrad was really ahead of his time to reject the ideology of colonialism and it was also really brave of him to do so.
      Although at times the novella is hard to catch on to, reading it a second time and having a bit more background knowledge on the issues of that time has really changed my mind on this.

    • @Ares_gaming_117
      @Ares_gaming_117 8 років тому +32

      +amszk I'm really glad to hear that! Yes the book can drag on in places but so long as the main message is not overlooked, all is well. It makes me really happy when people can appreciate good literature like this and objectively realize it for what it was and the themes it conveyed beyond the narrative.
      That is good for you that you came around to appreciate this book. :)

    • @stylesalvation
      @stylesalvation 7 років тому +7

      bahhaha loving how we're using food to explain it lol

    • @jaz1756
      @jaz1756 7 років тому +6

      i want to read this book so bad and i actually have to read it for my lit class, but i can't get past the first 5 pages because it makes me fall asleep lol. i think i might just listen to the audio version while i read so i dont get too bored.

  • @nothingistrue13
    @nothingistrue13 10 років тому +23

    Just finished reading this.
    I will, most assuredly, be reading this again at one point or another. It was enjoyable, albeit a little over my head, reading the descent into darkness that Marlow finds himself on.

  • @kingnothing3523
    @kingnothing3523 5 років тому +31

    So here's a hot take: Far Cry 3 is Heart of Darkness from the perspective of Kurtz.
    What I'm about to say was probably not intended by the game's developer, especially given that Far Cry 2 was an actual adaptation of HoD, but I'm gonna take a stab at it anyway. The vague nature of Kurtz's backstory leaves his transition from "civilized" to "savage" leaves a lot to the imagination, and I believe that Kurtz's understanding from industrialized England was so out of touch with his surroundings that he HAD to adapt or die. This is the position that Jason found himself in after being abducted by the pirates of Rook Island and then rescued by the Rakyat. He begins to think about solutions that make sense to his first-world background, but having not the means or the support to think about this for more than a minute Jason is immediately pressed into the natives' turf war against the pirates. He is forced to submit to the violent ways of the Rakyat, as Kurtz began executing "rebels" and competitors. The prophecy that casts Jason as a great warrior and leader even reflects Kurtz's appearance to the African natives as a deity. Jason's friends are essentially Marlowe, the link back to his prior understanding as a "civilized" person that tries to bring him home, but is kept somewhat out of the picture until the end. Jason's choice whether to leave Rook Island with his friends or join the Rakyat for good is Marlowe's confrontation with Kurtz outside the African camp; Jason choosing to return home represents the death of the warrior, as HoD ended, but Jason killing his friends and taking his position within the Rakyat is the alternate ending in which Kurtz alerts the tribe and Marlowe is killed. So this whole theory is full of holes, but the root is that Kurtz's change of character before the arrival of Marlowe is forced and understandable; in a situation where madness and violence reign, becoming the warrior is the new normal.

  • @valty3727
    @valty3727 4 роки тому +9

    read the book and was really confused at parts. this is great for visualising. i’d recommend people who haven’t read the book yet to watch this, because you already know the whole plot from the premise. man goes into the heart of darkness. no twists here folks

  • @georgecurtis1302
    @georgecurtis1302 8 років тому +40

    Comment on my behalf, it is Marlow and not the Manager who estimates that it will take 3 months to fix the boat, the Manager certainly does not "urge Marlow to hurry". On the contrary, the Manager has no desire to get to Kurtz quickly as he wants to take Kurtz' position.

    • @swarlaa2486
      @swarlaa2486 6 років тому

      George Curtis I know it’s been years since you commented on this but it is the manager that says in will take 3 months to fix the boat, Marlow even wonders how the manager knew such specifics.

    • @IndigoMist44
      @IndigoMist44 2 роки тому

      Its been a couple of years since the comments; however, I believe Marlow says it would take “months” to fix the steamer and the Manager states 3 months, to which Marlow remarks on how nice/generous the Manager had been with the time allotted.
      The exact quote on page 28 says: “Afterwards I took it back when it was borne in upon me startlingly me with what extreme nicety he had estimated the time requisite for the ‘affair’ ” (Conrad 28).

  • @cowboybeanz
    @cowboybeanz 10 років тому +30

    try reading it a second time, that helped me a lot. Also imagine that someone is telling you the story rather than just reading the text like an ordinary book

  • @TheManwithafan
    @TheManwithafan 9 років тому +339

    A very heavy book.

    • @obscureentertainment8303
      @obscureentertainment8303 8 років тому +107

      yeah, I can't even lift it.

    • @jordanharris4339
      @jordanharris4339 8 років тому +22

      The book is less than 100 pages

    • @DougieDougieBubuGug
      @DougieDougieBubuGug 7 років тому +71

      Jordan Harris Youre not only carrying the books weight, youre carrying the sins of the European Imperialists.

    • @yagzyalcntas553
      @yagzyalcntas553 5 років тому +7

      Obscure Ent. 500 paged books are easier to read than this thing tho..

    • @Kleptomaniac66
      @Kleptomaniac66 5 років тому +21

      Obligatory Black Guy he's not referring to the length of the book. This book requires more thought and concentration to understand than most novels.

  • @LKaterina425
    @LKaterina425 6 років тому +30

    I study in the English department in Athens and this book was really thought-provoking. I read in the comments that many expected to find a more exciting plot and a climax in it but I think the purpose of the book is philosophy, to raise questions about race and civilisation, which is quite remarkable If we think when it was written!

  • @aarondecker7980
    @aarondecker7980 7 років тому +737

    Anyone else here because they didn't read the stupid book and they have an essay about it tomorrow?

    • @esteffanyayala
      @esteffanyayala 7 років тому +2

      Aaron Decker me currently lol

    • @thewhitewolf58
      @thewhitewolf58 7 років тому +10

      Aaron Decker I heard so much shit about it and my ass it too lazy to read it

    • @hannah7936
      @hannah7936 7 років тому

      you called? lol

    • @lucasargandona4658
      @lucasargandona4658 7 років тому +22

      I read that shit with 12% understanding it. I only got the really important events that were also showed in this tiny clip

    • @andreamouton2230
      @andreamouton2230 6 років тому +6

      Today actually🙄

  • @frankreed7560
    @frankreed7560 7 років тому +30

    I personally love this book. It was the book that inspired the movie "Apocalypse Now" and the video game "Spec-ops The Line"

    • @riiddisbuk2496
      @riiddisbuk2496 2 роки тому +2

      And Far Cry 2 from what I've heard. Spec Ops: The Line is easily the best of them. So much so that I was inspired to plan a story with the similar concept.

    • @riiddisbuk2496
      @riiddisbuk2496 2 роки тому +1

      Also 10th like.

    • @briansheehan5256
      @briansheehan5256 2 роки тому +2

      @@riiddisbuk2496 Really though, when you look at Jason Brody's transformation from scared rich kid to insane jungle killer, Far Cry 3 is more like Heart of Darkness.

    • @riiddisbuk2496
      @riiddisbuk2496 2 роки тому

      @@briansheehan5256 I don't know anything about Far Cry 3, but it sounds haunting.

    • @briansheehan5256
      @briansheehan5256 2 роки тому

      @@riiddisbuk2496 It's incredibly immersive.. the first FPS I've played where you're not some hulking badass, but a timid kid who is forced to become a hard-core survivalist in the jungle.
      I'll put it this way, in the beginning I was looking for plants to craft with, and I was cautiously watching for gators as I stepped into a lake in broad daylight.
      Near the end of the game, I was swimming up a river through a dark cave fearlessly, saying to myself "I dare a gator to attack me in my river. This is my jungle."

  • @Kurtlane
    @Kurtlane 12 років тому +192

    I just finished reading "Heart of Darkness."
    To boil down this incredible, complicated, profound, soul-searching work to "it's about imperialism" is a travesty.
    It's about you and it's about me,

    • @julio5prado
      @julio5prado 3 роки тому +9

      I can’t agree more. But saying “is about imperialism” attracts attention among the morons who are unable to read the book in its full depth

    • @poego6045
      @poego6045 3 роки тому +8

      Why not both?

    • @genesistafari9006
      @genesistafari9006 3 роки тому +13

      Imperialism is a huge part, though not the only

    • @Kurtlane
      @Kurtlane 3 роки тому +9

      @@genesistafari9006 , in this case, look for inner imperialist in yourself. If you look hard enough, you will find him, in one shape or another.

    • @paplar9744
      @paplar9744 2 роки тому

      Great book

  • @i_so_late
    @i_so_late 11 років тому +62

    nope, read the first 20 pages twice, still had no idea what was happening. read all the sparknotes, got a general good idea for the plot, but still confused. This has now helped a lot.

    • @PogueMahone1
      @PogueMahone1 4 роки тому +2

      One must question what passes for 'college material' these days...

    • @ColombianThunder
      @ColombianThunder 4 роки тому +1

      @@PogueMahone1 it's a good book. But i will agree the 1st 50 or so pages are SLOOWW and hard to get through. However, the 3rd chapter and the last half of the 2nd, are legitimately genius.

    • @sophielorber4571
      @sophielorber4571 4 роки тому

      @@PogueMahone1 One must question who you think you are that you are the one to decide who counts as college material or not.

  • @corrinabrink5948
    @corrinabrink5948 12 років тому +7

    okay... "and his blood gets all over Marlow's shoes"...? Wow. Couldn't have said that more warmly than you sir narrator.

  • @iamryancarl
    @iamryancarl 13 років тому +6

    I found this summary really helpful to watch before reading the text. The illustrations gave me something to visualize and reference while reading. Thanks!

  • @leandrotarsia7212
    @leandrotarsia7212 2 роки тому +6

    I watched the video to compare my own notes after reading and ejoying the book several times. Especially having watched Apocalipsys Now the insights into human nature, western civilization and ritualistic cultures are fascinating.
    The amount of comments from people seemingly unable to understand or even finish the book is worrysome to say the least. Saddening would be a better word.

  • @cha5
    @cha5 8 років тому +77

    Who was the artist who illustrated this summary? I really liked his art and it's somewhat familiar somehow, I think I may have seen his art in some graphic novel maybe.

  • @SugarGlossStar
    @SugarGlossStar 11 років тому +5

    Oh my jesus I read the book and when I was done, I couldn't really figure out what the plot was. Then I looked on here. Thanks sparknotes. :)

  • @randstahl4869
    @randstahl4869 8 місяців тому +1

    Heart of Darkness is a favorite novella read several times. Is interesting listening (and reading close caption ) of the sparks summary -- enrichment of the reading experience occurs.

  • @Basicc
    @Basicc 4 роки тому +22

    I really enjoyed my honors class until I had to read and write about this novel....

  • @ryanmedina4477
    @ryanmedina4477 6 років тому +5

    Thank you so much for this video!! It really helped me to understand what was going on, especially towards the end of the novella.

  • @matthewwohl951
    @matthewwohl951 4 роки тому +3

    Great concise summary. Nothing will replace the mood via diction... but this video provides some great illustrations and a great support to students who are totally lost by the plot.

  • @1xXitachiXx1
    @1xXitachiXx1 10 років тому +20

    i think that true, there are racial themes accurate to that of the time period, but the actual focus is about a man who is highly regarded by society turned into the utter savage/ visceral human base. It makes me really ponder the idea of the true depths of human despair and the perceptions from those whom have not experienced it.

    • @bellairefondren7389
      @bellairefondren7389 3 роки тому +2

      The racial themes of this book cannot be understood separately from the imperialist "setting" of the book. It was the socioeconomic conditions of imperialism and the moral justification of imperialist exploitation that shaped the actions of the characters of the book. The exploitative nature of the Congo Free State along with the "we must civilize the natives" moral justification for imperialism shaped why Kurtz "turned into the utter savage/ visceral human base"

    • @olympian3
      @olympian3 3 роки тому +2

      @@bellairefondren7389 It was Kurtz' want and need to steal Ivory for the company that made him a monster. This feeling he had of 1. being able to use advanced western techniques to hold sway over his villagers and 2. to use them for his own ends that made him what he was. But the biggest terror is that the whole company including Marlow are dependent on Kurtz, and the final lesson is really that no matter how good we are, every society including our own relies on Kurtz types.

    • @bellairefondren7389
      @bellairefondren7389 3 роки тому +3

      ​@@olympian3 Kurtz did manipulate his company resources to hold sway over the Congolese, but if we focus too much on the individual characters, even Kurtz, we risk not acknowledging how this book was a fairly accurate portrayal of the horrors of the Congo Free State. We risk overlooking how European investment into resource extraction in the Congo, the ideology of colonial imperialism and acceptance by both the Congo Free State and the companies in the Congo of terrorizing the Congolese led Kurtz to be what he became.

    • @olympian3
      @olympian3 3 роки тому +1

      @@bellairefondren7389 Exactly! Was definitely my point. The entire system was reliant on and fed off of Kurtz' terrible practices, or rather the practices of people such as Kurtz. It really is a great example of how larger systems can promote terrible practices. Kurtz had gone into the congo with much greater idealism and morality and the system helped to tear his humanity apart.
      However on the other end it was Kurtz' decision to participate in this system when it comes down to it. At any point he could've left Africa. A question this book begs: are atrocities committed by the systems of power which allow for them, or the people who willingly participate in them for gain?

    • @bellairefondren7389
      @bellairefondren7389 3 роки тому +4

      @@olympian3 I would argue the book, given that it is a fictionalized but fairly realistic telling of the Congo Free State, shows how the idealism of the era is much more twisted than how it might appear. For example, Kurtz's idealism comes from the era he was born in to: an idealism about civilizing the natives fit nicely with the aim of the colonial powers and Leopold. As such, Kurtz's idealism segued nicely into the brutal tactics he employed to "civilize" the natives. In terms of atrocities, I would argue that the systems provide the framework in which people commit atrocities, whether it be morphing people to commit terrible acts, or encouraging people with twisted morality to join in.

  • @mateotress3855
    @mateotress3855 4 роки тому +50

    Who’s here in 2020 ap lit?

  • @Supported-Characters
    @Supported-Characters 2 роки тому +5

    The idea of civilized savagery was also touched upon by George Romero in Night of the Living Dead where the human (civilized) survivors are brutally and savagely exterminating the zombies (cannibals) in massive burn piles. Romero said in an interview that he often depicted the humans as the bad guys instead of the zombies. It’s interesting I say this since zombies have a connection with west African voodoo from Haiti, itself a colony that descended into madness caused by colonialism.

  • @hammerite6418
    @hammerite6418 2 роки тому +3

    I just can’t see where people in this comment section are coming from I loved this book it’s themes about humanity were ahead of its time probably my favorite book ever

  • @eviez-bh7lh
    @eviez-bh7lh 4 місяці тому

    This has actually helped me understand the book more that the lectures for my honors english class could have ever done. Thank god I found this video I have a test tomorrow and need a good grade since I am failing the class.

  • @mjb42280
    @mjb42280 11 років тому +6

    This book made its own Archetype. Only things like Hamlet usually do that. Heart of Darkness vs. Moby Dick is one of the best Literary Fights you could ever Fight.
    The horror. The horror.

  • @markjosephcasacop8440
    @markjosephcasacop8440 3 роки тому +3

    More summary videos please! We need this more in 2021

  • @sirderpington7704
    @sirderpington7704 9 років тому +47

    So do you feel like a hero yet? Something you are not?

  • @soulnaakseolee1043
    @soulnaakseolee1043 5 років тому +5

    Thank you for the help. I'm gonna read it again anyway. This is so beautifully written. I now understand how it is considered one of the most important literary piece in history.

  • @ruinima3563
    @ruinima3563 10 років тому +61

    In 3 years nearly 185 thousand people had the exact same as me- to watch this video instead of actually reading the book!

    • @rileynorton1097
      @rileynorton1097 10 років тому +6

      Sorry you are missing out on such a landmark piece of insightful literature. This SparkNote is great to help clarify the events, but Conrad's prose is not worth missing. There is meaning in every line. Instead of dust, this book must just accumulate weight and significance.

    • @yuggoth69
      @yuggoth69 9 років тому +7

      Well, just keep cheating yourself in this way in every dreed you make, choose the easiest and shortest way, and you'll see how it goes in your life...

    • @toblurrz
      @toblurrz 6 років тому +3

      3 more years have passed and we're closing up on 600 thousand of us

    • @ghidam2969
      @ghidam2969 6 років тому +2

      I have a final in college about this novel so i have to get as much info about it as possible😂

    • @PogueMahone1
      @PogueMahone1 4 роки тому +3

      That's nothing for anyone to be proud about.

  • @mrzazzaable
    @mrzazzaable 6 років тому +4

    I like how apocalypse now did a bullet through the chest in replace of a arrow on the boat.

  • @kilssj2250
    @kilssj2250 3 роки тому +3

    ABS - Jakes put it best when he says:
    "It's a book about the Human Condition. The Darkness within us all, our susceptibility to Power and the tendency in us all to pave the road to Hell with our good intentions. So let's get over all the grievance-mongering and let's enjoy this great book with it's wonderful lessons all races can learn from and enjoy. Peace!"

  • @mohsin584
    @mohsin584 3 роки тому +1

    @Sparknotes : I read the trxt book and came to this interpretation- you have done it effectively... ✌🏻

  • @kylewagner3052
    @kylewagner3052 4 роки тому +2

    Notice how apocalypse now used heart of darkness characters in a brilliant way that defined the movie and made it a classic. The horror the horror.

  • @pineapple1041
    @pineapple1041 11 років тому +4

    @Lynn Turman: Please don't waste your pity on me. Just because I'm an English major does not mean I'm required to enjoy all books. Again everyone has their own writing styles which they enjoy. To say all people are going to like Shakespeare, Dickens and Blake like I do would be preposterous. And since you loved the book so much that you feel the need to belittle anyone who does not, let me ask you why you are watching the SparkNotes video summary?

  • @francescc5272
    @francescc5272 10 років тому +7

    I recommend you the book Heart of Darkness: Search for the Unconscious by Gary Adelman. I found it way more interesting than Conrad's, and it makes more easy a second reading.

  • @zariavparvez467
    @zariavparvez467 5 років тому +1

    This video saved my grades and possibly my life.

  • @bladeserrated
    @bladeserrated 3 роки тому +4

    Wow listening to this after playing spec ops and I see where and how the devs were inspired from this and apocalypse now

  • @agdog7
    @agdog7 7 років тому +11

    This was the first book I read that my teacher told me to read Sparknotes... haha if that gives an insight into the complexity of the book

  • @xxjanzxx
    @xxjanzxx 13 років тому +3

    These summaries are great!

  • @Ryannaut_g
    @Ryannaut_g 16 днів тому

    This is like a Hollywood movie. The realization that for it to be mass produced and bought requires an overwhelmingly dark at times industry working to create the tape reels, the disks, the book-like cases for DVDs and blu-rays, and the things producers and publishers do.

  • @bertoberr
    @bertoberr 10 років тому +21

    My right ear really enjoyed this video.

  • @TheGhostOperative
    @TheGhostOperative 5 років тому +3

    it is said that Kurtz was the based on Leon Rom who was the administrator of congo free state.

  • @tbdonnelly67
    @tbdonnelly67 13 років тому +2

    After watching this I understand "Apocalypse Now" much better. Thanks for posting!

  • @gerhardrinkens2115
    @gerhardrinkens2115 9 років тому +1

    Great book.... great reading..... if you have the experience preceding it.
    It brought close the utter desolation and loneliness when living far beyond our zone of comfort and familiarity.
    It is of bare survival ....

  • @yokosh2207
    @yokosh2207 9 років тому +5

    thank you .... perfect way for story telling

  • @n1k2ful
    @n1k2ful 11 років тому +3

    This was so so helpful, thank you! Now i won't completely fail my coursework!

  • @progrocker2112
    @progrocker2112 3 місяці тому

    I like the Spec Ops: The line interpretation in which Marlow was actually Kurtz who was just a phantom scapegoat of the own brutalities he himself committed.

  • @michaellynes3540
    @michaellynes3540 8 місяців тому +1

    “We could not understand because we were too far and could not remember, because we were traveling in the night of first ages, of those ages that are gone, leaving hardly a sign-and no memories. [The earth seemed unearthly.] We are accustomed to look upon the shackled form of a conquered monster, but there-there you could look at a thing monstrous and free”
    - “Heart of Darkness” [Conrad, 32]

  • @Xemeets94
    @Xemeets94 11 років тому +3

    Most of the students at my didn't even bother to read the book, but when I looked into the spark notes and read a little, I realized that Joseph was a genius! I like the book now and I would consider it as one of my favorites on my book shelf.

  • @andrewbeattieRAB
    @andrewbeattieRAB 5 років тому +5

    WOW...
    ...It sounds JUST LIKE the movie “Apocalypse Now” with Crazy Colonel Walter E Kurtz but set in Vietnam.

    • @purvdragon-sensei
      @purvdragon-sensei 5 років тому +4

      andrew beattie
      Please say sike.

    • @dawidsnyders5476
      @dawidsnyders5476 4 роки тому +2

      @@purvdragon-sensei Broooooo, almost shat myself laughing when I read this.

  • @velocitor3792
    @velocitor3792 3 роки тому +1

    Love the illustrations- hat's off to the artist!

  • @wryanddry2266
    @wryanddry2266 3 роки тому +1

    He didn't find the job right away. He tried for awhile then asked the women of his family to help. His aunt finds him the job by talking him up real big, and that affects the way he his treated by others in the company.

  • @giannisgourniez1442
    @giannisgourniez1442 11 років тому +4

    I am so glad I found this video. I am sitting an examination tomorrow and one of the texts examined is this one. It's so huge to study it from Norton Anthology. So, what's best than watching this? :D

  • @gt3018
    @gt3018 8 років тому +74

    Alot of ignorant comments out there. This is a good book.

    • @kLuMzyOwl
      @kLuMzyOwl 8 років тому +3

      +Genesis Torres A lot

    • @C0untZer00
      @C0untZer00 7 років тому +6

      No i think he means people that dismiss this book as boring or racist and see no intrinsic value of a wonderful character study of evil are ignorant.

    • @snapmyneck8818
      @snapmyneck8818 6 років тому +2

      They're just opinions dude, as is your comment.

    • @Vinnini
      @Vinnini 6 років тому +2

      using "tis" in modern English doesn't make your argument sound any smarter

    • @thunderbass7283
      @thunderbass7283 5 років тому

      Just because you think the comments are ignorant, doesn't make them so. People are entitled to their opinions. I've read the book. I've analyzed it in every way, shape, and form, and even now I still think it has to be the most boring book I've ever read. It all comes down to what kind of literature we like.

  • @ajsztehlo
    @ajsztehlo 12 років тому +1

    the greatest recitation of "the horror the horror" ever.

  • @kamrunnisha8016
    @kamrunnisha8016 Рік тому

    I really love your videos and summarise. Love you Sparknotes....

  • @mjb42280
    @mjb42280 11 років тому +3

    Rider Haggard. Conrad's plot was largely based on Haggard's actual experience.

  • @jovicvasilije
    @jovicvasilije 2 роки тому +3

    I am Serbian and I read the book in old Croatian (very hard to read Slavic) and I can say, I didn't necessarily understand every part of the book but I can say that it's a great presentation of imperialism meeting true chaos. Marlow and Kurtz represent a part of the imperialism yet only one got crazy.

  • @aburninglandfillofbadmovie2930
    @aburninglandfillofbadmovie2930 2 роки тому +1

    Here's a fun plot seed for your next Cthulhu by Gaslight storyline; The year is 1908 AD. The place: Severn Valley, England. A list of people who have a direct or indirect connection to the ivory industry are being viciously murdered, (like body parts torn completely off and huge holes in torso viciously). What begins as a very conventional serial murder location and apprehension mission slowly becomes more and more complex as it gradually becomes more obvious that the murderer is a Hound-of-Tindalos werewolf, over time becoming more and more clear that it's Kurtz who is the time traveling werewolf who is killing everyone. On top of that, at least 3 locations in the story's map are haunted by routine-sighting conventional ghosts, at least 2 locations have solvable cold cases that are unrelated, at least 1 character is a Mythos Cultist, and at least 2 people involved are fraudster satanists involved in a fake-seances scam.

  • @rogerevans9666
    @rogerevans9666 4 роки тому +1

    Orson Welles was originally going to make a film of this and did shoot a few minutes worth of film to this end, but then Welles decided to film "Citizen Kane".

  • @appujosephjose6129
    @appujosephjose6129 6 років тому +3

    Conrad's writing is a challenge. All the action is concealed under a flurry of words.

  • @katsan88
    @katsan88 10 років тому +5

    I wish i had this when i was in high school. We had to read the cliff note books lol.

    • @LearnerChess
      @LearnerChess 10 років тому +6

      You missed out on reading one of the greatest books of all time.

    • @LearnerChess
      @LearnerChess 10 років тому +1

      Michael Jordan So? Either way, he's missed out on reading a truly great novel, unless of course he's read the book and is using the Cliff Notes or Sparknotes video to get further insights. But I've worked with kids--and they ain't looking for further insights or to read a book that isn't vampire-related Fantasy or Romance.

    • @LearnerChess
      @LearnerChess 10 років тому +1

      Michael Jordan Okie dokie. :)

    • @noorajohn6926
      @noorajohn6926 3 роки тому

      @@LearnerChess wow 7 years later, and nothing has changed. Mind you, this is coming from a student. :)

    • @LearnerChess
      @LearnerChess 3 роки тому +1

      @@noorajohn6926 I remember making those comments. Doesn't seem like seven years. Time flies.

  • @candybanks8717
    @candybanks8717 4 роки тому +2

    "The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can understand it?"
    Jeremiah 17:9

    • @snowyhappiness5
      @snowyhappiness5 4 роки тому

      The true heart of darkness....our own. Well said. Truth is truth and truth has its source... The Word

  • @shanebagel
    @shanebagel 8 років тому +1

    I love these videos, keep up the good stuff, dudes

  • @runswithbears3517
    @runswithbears3517 7 років тому +3

    Fucking kids reading adult books.
    “They trespassed upon my thoughts. They were intruders whose knowledge
    of life was to me an irritating pretense, because I felt so sure they
    could not possibly know the things I knew. Their bearing, which was
    simply the bearing of commonplace individuals going about their business
    in the assurance of perfect safety, was offensive to me like the
    outrageous flauntings of folly in the face of a danger it is unable to
    comprehend. I had no particular desire to enlighten them, but I had some
    difficulty in restraining myself from laughing in their faces, so full
    of stupid importance.” - Joseph Conrad
    So relevant when reading the comments.

  • @N0die
    @N0die 5 років тому +136

    It’s called “Heart of Darkness” not
    “The joys of enslaving SubSaharans”,
    so enough with this search for outrage over racism.

  • @SolaceEasy
    @SolaceEasy 4 роки тому +2

    To best understand the human heart of darkness, dispassionately witness the events of life. Then it's natural to not want to associate with those lost in cultural entrancement.

  • @CKCzut08
    @CKCzut08 11 років тому +2

    I really enjoyed the last part of the book.

  • @Vinegaroon
    @Vinegaroon 7 років тому +48

    I actually found the book to be interesting

    • @Lizardking311
      @Lizardking311 4 роки тому +9

      Said no one ever

    • @pottingsoil
      @pottingsoil 3 роки тому

      It is, but my copy is so poorly laid out that it was unpleasant at times.

    • @gnomeimporta6912
      @gnomeimporta6912 2 роки тому

      @@Lizardking311 ratio'd, stay mad

  • @evanm320
    @evanm320 9 років тому +36

    Spec ops the line, anyone?

    • @joshguye
      @joshguye 9 років тому +18

      'Spec Ops: The Line' was based on Heart of Darkness.

    • @Ares_gaming_117
      @Ares_gaming_117 8 років тому +3

      +Evan M YES! I am currently playing it and I too realized this! Thankfully Im not the only one

    • @dhruvo100
      @dhruvo100 5 років тому

      I knew i would find comments like this one

  • @patch8880
    @patch8880 6 років тому +1

    One of my favourite classics.

  • @minillaman6717
    @minillaman6717 2 роки тому +1

    For anyone wondering, this book is the inspiration for Apocalypse Now

  • @bibniebt
    @bibniebt 7 років тому +19

    Doing a plot analysis really doesn't do the story justice. The sheer descriptive brilliance of the writing makes even the mundane an ethereal experience

  • @rulerofbeanvillage1716
    @rulerofbeanvillage1716 10 років тому +3

    I have heard that Apocalypse Now sort of follows this story.

    • @LearnerChess
      @LearnerChess 10 років тому +5

      It very much follows this story. Both are masterpieces in their respective media. You won't regret reading the book. Conrad is one of the all-time greats.

  • @BanditofYTP
    @BanditofYTP 12 років тому +1

    Thank you so much, I am in the academic decathlon at school and we are reading this book now.

  • @sriharshacv7760
    @sriharshacv7760 10 місяців тому +1

    I would love if someone reads the full audiobook with illustrations for each scene. That way I can complete many audiobooks. I feel many are like me and this is a good UA-cam channel idea. I would have done it myself, but I am neck deep into my job and do not have enough spare time to pursue that idea.

    • @dazzaondmic
      @dazzaondmic 9 місяців тому

      I’ve often wished for something like this myself.

  • @rhymes-stories
    @rhymes-stories 4 роки тому +5

    Heart of Darkness is written from Joseph Conrad's perspective of How white people seen themselves at that time as highly and mighty ! Marlow is not a racist but marlow is showing facts of Europeans view at that time , The book for me is an ironical book ( what he is saying it he means the opposite ) people have to read between the lines to know the real meaning of this Masterpiece " Heart of Darkness "

    • @keledele
      @keledele 4 роки тому +1

      The book is racist.
      As an African reading a book set in Africa there is not character that even tries to humanise Africans.
      Imagine if I, a foreigner, came into your country and wrote that everyone there was less than human. Would it matter if I said I was flawed, would that justify making an entire continent of humans appear more ape-like than anything?

    • @gnomeimporta6912
      @gnomeimporta6912 2 роки тому

      cry about it lol

  • @hassannadvee9646
    @hassannadvee9646 10 років тому +4

    the movie "Apocalypse Now" has some common points with this novel

    • @yuggoth69
      @yuggoth69 9 років тому +3

      Really!? :-0

    • @hassannadvee9646
      @hassannadvee9646 9 років тому +1

      yeah, I think so

    • @yuggoth69
      @yuggoth69 9 років тому

      hassan nadvee :-O

    • @yuggoth69
      @yuggoth69 9 років тому +9

      hassan nadvee Perhaps the fact that the story plot from the movie is entirely based in this novel has something to do? :-O

    • @justinc.9565
      @justinc.9565 9 років тому +3

      no shit

  • @joakimlundgren7043
    @joakimlundgren7043 2 роки тому +2

    If I remember correctly the novel character Kurtz was a megalomaniac, his evil coming from placing himself above others & thinking that living in the jungle was a valid excuse for throwing away morals.

  • @deplorablecovfefe9489
    @deplorablecovfefe9489 9 місяців тому +1

    I always forget it's the "Apocalypse Now" story. Kurtz is "Unsound".

  • @nykia007
    @nykia007 9 років тому +5

    It left out most of the book!