Published Paper Details:

Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, published in 1902 is widely regarded as a prominent European literary masterpiece from the late 19th Century. It is an intricate work that can be analysed through several literary perspectives. Postcolonial theory is one important theory that can be used to examine it. The paper focuses on the portrayal and criticism of European colonialism in Africa as depicted in Heart of Darkness, with particular emphasis on two characters; Marlowe and Kurtz. Marlow is the novel's narrator, while Kurtz is the main colonial agent in the novel. The novel portrays the stark truths of imperialism, observing the exploitation, cruelty, and dehumanization of indigenous African people by European colonizers. Conrad criticizes the inhumane treatment of the indigenous people of Africa and the practice of imperialism, mainly through the character of Kurtz in the novel. The novel effectively depicts the sombre and ruinous aspects of European colonialism in Africa.