Heart of Darkness Character Analysis - Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Revised Third Edition

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At a glance:

Author: Joseph Conrad
First Published: 1899
Type of Work: Novella
Type of Plot: Psychological realism
Time of Work: Late nineteenth century
Setting: The Belgian Congo
Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Frame story, Novel
Subjects: Africa or Africans, Traveling or travelers, Colonialism, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, Antiheroes, Mental illness, Oppression, Good and evil, Greed, Symbolism, Rivers or waterways, Corruption, Adventure, Steamboats
Locales: Africa, Congo, Belgian Congo

Characters Discussed

Marlow

Marlow, the narrator and impartial observer of the action who becomes the central figure of the story. Because he is an observer and never centrally involved in the action of the story, he survives to tell the tale. He tells his listeners about his childhood passion for maps and about his declared intention to go, someday, to the heart of Africa. This thoroughly British Everyman describes how, years later, he signs on for the journey, with the help of his aunt. An accident has befallen the steamer that he was to have commanded, and the...

(The entire page is 739 words.)

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External Links

Heart of Darkness (Wikipedia Reference)

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