intersting begining

[pink_floyd]

why did conrad introduce the shipmates at the beginging of the book when Marlow begins his story, they arn't mentioned anywhere later in the book.

[ShoutGrace]

why did conrad introduce the shipmates at the beginging of the book when Marlow begins his story, they arn't mentioned anywhere later in the book.


Well, yes, actually, they are mentioned.

The narrative style Conrad used for Heart of Darkness is most commonly reffered to as a "framed" narrative. A story within the story. Can you think of any advantages to such a style? Does it lend anything to the overall work?

[pink_floyd]

so within the story of Marlow's adventure there is an underlining story? Like an allegory?

[Turk]

Yeah, experts called it as an allegory. And without this kind of narrative style it wouldn't be a masterpiece. Because Kurtz had to die, and since he's dead someone should tell the story. Marlow seems like story teller but he's not, story teller is the one who listen Marlow's story. It doubles the effect of story, and creates an epic structure. (resemblance between Heart of Darkness and Dede Korkut epic stories of ancient Turks gets my interest. That's why i said Heart of Darkness have an epic structure. Of course it's not an epic, but has a structure like epics.)

[gnad]

Perhaps a better term than "epic" would be "legend"? This would also let us interpret the story as based less on fact and more on intent of message. In short, is it more important that Marlow learns how to lie to the widow (learns how to be a human with empathy) or that he finds and overcomes "darkness" (Kurtz)? One leads to the other does it not?

[meowness]

When asking about why Conrad starts the story with the shipmates, you can ask why Shakespeare begins "Taming of the Shrew" with some people watching a play. He never goes back to them and the play within the play just ends.

[adduhleenuh]

Conrad wrote Heart of Darkness as installments for a magazine, Blackwood or something like that. he was writing to educated, white, male readers, who have all of the racisms of their culture. Therefore, by putting those type of people as the men on the ships, Marlow must tell the story in a way that they would understand. there is a quote somewhere at the beginning about how he has to say this in a way they'd understand, but its hard for anybody to understand... you'd have to have gone there. look for that in part 1.