The Heart of Darkness in Joseph Conrad

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Recommended: Background information on joseph conrad

Joseph Conrad is the author of the novel, The Heart of Darkness, along with many other profound works. Compared on any scale, Conrad is nowhere near average. Joseph Conrad is a very interesting character who sees the world through wide eyes. By traveling the world and exploring the many walks of life he is able to discuss common global views and habits that include injustices which are explained in his renowned novel, The Heart of Darkness. As a child Conrad was born in Berdichev, Ukraine on the third day of December in 1857. although born in the Ukraine, he was of Polish ethnicity. Conrad’s full birth name was Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski which explains why he went more simply by Joseph (Witkoski 2). He was born into a wealthy noble family and was not considered a commoner on the streets. Despite the fact that his family was of noble status, the parents of his mother, Ewa Bobrowski, thought Conrad’s father, Apollo Korzeniowski, was born with tainted blood (Witkoski 2). Conrad’s father was a political writer and translator of Alfred de Vigny, Charles Dickens and Shakespeare (Zacks). Logically, because of Korzeniowski’s passion for literature it inspired Conrad to begin exploring literature himself. Conrad’s literary exploration commenced in his native language, but by his mid teens he had expanded to other languages including French and English (Zacks). At the age of four Conrad’s father was exiled to the city of Vologda for organizing an uprising. Within four months of his father’s exultation his mother died from tuberculosis. Then four years later his father passed away leaving Conrad an orphan (Zacks). Conrad was adopted by his maternal uncle, Tadeusz Bobrowski. As his guardian Bobrowski was much more cautious than Con... ... middle of paper ... ...terary Reference Center. Print. 22 Jan. 2012. 8. Witkoski M. Almayer’s Folly. Masterplots, Fourth Edition [serial online]. November 2010;:1- 4. Available from: Literary Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Critical Resource. Accessed January 22, 2012. 9. Witkoski M. The Nigger of the Narcissus. Masterplots, Fourth Edition. [serial online]. November 2010;:1-3. Available from: Literary Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Critical Resource. Accessed January 22, 2012. 10. Zacks A. Conrad &the Performing Arts. English Literature In Transition, 1880-1920 [serial online]. January 2011; 54(1):118-121. Available from: Literary Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Print. Accessed January 22, 2012. 11. Zlogar L. The Secret Agent. Masterplots, Fourth Edition [serial online]. November 2010;: 1- 4. Available from: Literary Reference Center, Ipswich, MA. Web. Accessed January 22, 2012.

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