Joseph Conrad

adaptation by Cristina Gioli
 Heart of Darkness (1899) tells the story of Charles Marlow, a sailor who takes on the job of steamboat captain with a Belgian ivory trading company in the African interior. The novel is a strong critique of European colonial rule in Africa, implicitly commenting on imperialism and racism. It also examines the themes of evil, power and morality, mainly through the central fictional character, Kurtz, a cruel, charismatic ivory trader and commander of a trading post. The native Africans see him as a demigod, so he manages to collect huge quantities of ivory and sets up a reign of terror in the darkness of the African jungle. The reader is enriched with inserts about the main themes and symbols of this novel.
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Summing-up Activities 
 
 Heart of Darkness racconta la storia di Marlow, capitano di un battello a vapore di una compagnia commerciale belga nel cuore dell’Africa. Il romanzo è una forte critica al colonialismo e tratta di imperialismo e razzismo. Il male, il potere e l’etica sono esaminati attraverso il personaggio centrale, Kurtz. Questi è il comandante di una stazione di commercio di avorio, che instaura un regno del terrore nelle oscure tenebre della giungla africana.

Chapter 1 – The unnamed Sailor’s narrative

Extension: Colonialism

Chapter 2 – Getting nearer

Extension: Belgian colonisation of the Congo

Chapter 3 – Along the Great River

Extension: The White Man’s mission

Chapter 4 – The Harlequin

Extension: Marlow’s journey

Chapter 5 – The horror! The horror!

Extension: Features, themes and symbols

Picture gallery

Summing-up activities

Glossary

First Impressions Getting nearer BEFORE READING 1 1 2 Chapter Only six of the following statements are true. Tick them and correct the false ones. a. Marlow was different from the other sailors. b. Marlow thought that conquering other people s lands was not right. c. When he went to the Congo, he had not had other experiences in far off places. d. When he was a child, he was fascinated by maps. e. His uncle helped him get a job with the Belgian company. f. He got his job quickly because Fresleven, one of the company s captains, had been killed. g. Fresleven had decided to punish a village chief for very serious reasons. h. The doctor who examined Marlow thought that he might be slightly mad. i. Marlow s aunt thought that white people brought civilisation to the savages; therefore, working for the company was a noble mission. j. The last part of the journey to Congo was a pleasant, relaxing experience for Marlow. 2 Predict what will happen in the next chapter. Choose among the following options and tick the ones you think are correct. a. Marlow will reach the company station. b. He will be shocked by the conditions of the natives under the colonial domination. c. He will find his steamboat ready and will begin his work. d. He will be impressed by the efficiency of the company agents. e. He will be surprised by the lack of efficiency of the company agents. f. He will find that the steamboat he is going to command is in very poor condition. g. He will think the situation is useless and unreal. 

Heart of Darkness Getting nearer Chapter 2 I It took us more than thirty days to reach the mouth of the big Congo River. We anchored near the seat1 of the colonial government. My job would begin two hundred miles farther on, so, as soon as I could, I left on a little steamboat which would take me to my company station, about thirty miles up the river. The captain was a Swede and, knowing that I was a sailor, he invited me on the bridge. He was a sad, thin man who showed evident dislike for the government clerks employed there.  They are a fine group aren t they?  he said with bitter irony2.  It s funny what some people will do for a few francs3 a month! I wonder what happens to men like them when they go further inside this country  You know, the other day I found a man who had hanged himself on the way. He was a Swede, too.   Hanged himself! Why, in the name of God?  I cried.  Who knows? Perhaps the sun was too much for him, or the country itself.  At last we reached a place where the river was wider. I saw a cliff, some piles of turned-up earth by the shore and a few houses. Some of them stood on a hill, others had iron roofs and were surrounded by big holes dug in the ground. It was a scene of desolation, where a lot of people, mostly black and naked, moved like ants. The sunlight was blinding.  There s your company station4,  said the captain, pointing to three wooden structures on the side of the hill. I went ashore and I saw a boiler5 abandoned in the grass. I found a path leading up the hill, but I had to walk around a small used in France, Belgium, Luxemburg and many African countries. 4. The station would be in Boma (about 100 km from the mouth of the river). 5. boiler: a piece of equipment used for heating water. 1. seat: a place which is the centre of an important activity. 2. irony: the use of words which are the opposite of the real meaning that someone wants to convey. 3. franc: the type of money that was 27 3 

Narrativa inglese, livello B2 intermedio. Il romanzo di Konrad è una forte critica al colonialismo e tratta di imperialismo e razzismo.

Heart of Darkness - Collana RAINBOWS

Level B2 • Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

Heart of Darkness

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