Culture in the Congo

We’ve already discussed Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad quite a bit on this blog if you’ve been following along with us.  I am going to keep expounding on that novel by looking at it in the context of “cultural studies.” It was pretty hard for me to pinpoint exactly what I wanted to discuss about cultural studies because I didn’t even know what it was to begin with before I read from our textbook Literary Theory and Criticism.  Basically, as defined by our textbook, “cultural studies investigates meaning in the social text of everyday life.” “Culture” is a very broad definition.  Some define culture as something that lots of people participate in, and some define culture as something that is made up of the “best” of society. I am going to be basing my analysis off of the following passage from the text of the novel:

“Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire. What greatness had not floated on the ebb of that river into the mystery of an unknown earth!”

The passage above relates clearly to the many themes of colonization that prevail throughout the novel.  Discussed in Literary Theory and Criticism is a theory developed by F. R. Leavis and his wife.  Leavis said that Joseph Conrad is one of the most important writers for those of society to read.  He said reading Conrad could help a society “struggling against war, mechanization, commercialism, and the diminishing impact of religion.”  From the above passage, we can interpret why Leavis chose Conrad as one of the most culturally important authors to read. Conrad brings to light in Heart of Darkness the great sufferings of the people who lived in the Congo at that time.   

Also, from the Literary and Theory Criticism book, I read about “enlightenment rationality replacing myth.”  Two prominent theorists from the 1930s, Theodor W. Adorno and Max Horkheimer, said that the Enlightenment Era, which began in the 1600s, was a cultural movement designed to move people out of captivity.  But, because cultural practices became so ingrained in peoples’ minds, enlightenment replaced “rational myth.”

We see so clearly throughout Heart of Darkness the people of the Congo being oppressed by the “conquerors.”  But, we don’t see people too upset over the fact that people are starving and dying in the name of enlightenment and civilization.  Kurtz uses Marlow’s character to break the cultural norms that generally accepted the “ration myth” of enlightenment.  We see through Marlow’s eyes the horrors that actually happened in the Congo, and we feel for the people there. 

The two above theories relate in the sense that they both comment on the 

culture happening around and within Heart of Darkness.  Themes of oppression serve as a guide to comment on the “rational myth” that had replaced theories of enlightenment.  These same themes of oppression also serve as a cultural guide of “what not to do.”  After reading Literary Theory and Criticism, I have a better grasp on cultural studies and how they apply to Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.

I found a presentation that deals with enlightenment in Heart of Darkness.  Click here to view.

My picture is a bit unrelated just as Nathan's is, but this is me and my fiancé!