James Baquet

The Polish-British writer Joseph Conrad, considered to be one of the greatest novelists in the English language, probably didn’t begin learning English until his early 20s. Many readers consider his greatest work to be his 1899 novella “Heart of Darkness,” about a voyage up the Congo River.

The story is narrated by one Charles Marlow about his experiences with an ivory trading company in Africa, and his encounter with Mr. Kurtz, a remarkable trader who works for the company.

At the supposed end of his journey, Marlow learns that the steamboat he was to captain has been wrecked, and that the exceptional Mr. Kurtz is quite ill. Annoyed, Marlow spends some months repairing his boat. He again hears high praise of Kurtz and his abilities, though he also discovers that the company’s manager resents Kurtz.

At last Marlow begins his two-month journey up-river to Kurtz’s “Inner Station.” At a fueling stop, he discovers a note telling him to proceed to the Inner Station quickly, but with caution. Along the final stages, his boat is attacked by a rain of arrows, and the helmsman is killed.

At the Inner Station, Marlow learns that Kurtz has become the object of worship by some of the natives, and seems to have gone mad with power. The desperately ill Kurtz is carried onto the boat on a stretcher. There is some talk of his business methods being “unsound,” which may lead to some form of punishment. In any case, during the night, Kurtz escapes from his stateroom and returns to his village.

Kurtz is recaptured and taken aboard, with violent opposition from the natives. His health deteriorates on the trip downriver. At a repair stop, Kurtz gives Marlow some papers — to be kept away from the company manager — and shortly thereafter a servant announces in one of the book’s most famous lines: “Mistah Kurtz — he dead.” Some of the ship’s passengers then bury “something” in a hole on shore, but Marlow is now too ill to see what it was.

Back in Europe, Marlow is contemptuous of “civilization,” passing Kurtz’s papers on to a journalist for possible publication. He visits a native woman who was affianced to Kurtz, and, lying, tells her Kurtz’s last word was to speak her name.

Vocabulary:

Which word above means:

1. feels insulted by

2. terribly, extremely

3. steerer, pilot

4. gets worse

5. not reliable

6. disrespectful

7. engaged

8. sleeping space on a boat

9. device for carrying a patient

10. material of an elephant’s tusks

ANSWERS: 1. resents

2. desperately 3. helmsman

4. deteriorates 5. unsound

6. contemptuous 7. affianced

8. stateroom 9. stretcher

10. ivory