Today's "Ew" momentFollow

Kavekk 1, ToUtem 0

Aff'kuh was claimed by some as Conrad's metaphor for the scuttier parts of London

Only about 330 miles north or so.

Miles, kilometers, same-same, savvy?

An african or a European gerbil?

From fallible memory: at the start of the book, as the protagonist sits on the deck as they sail down the Thames out of London, he reflects that "This too has been one of the Dark Places of the world". He reflects that at the time of the Roman Empire, the shining, educated, civilised centre of the world was in Italy, and as the empire pushed outwards, at the furthest reaches was Britain, which was a dismal barbaric outpost, a pestilent mudpit, dark and dank. He reflects that the civilised Romans sailing up the Thames to the tiny little mud huts of Roman era Britain were so far away from their bright sunny homes, the warm weather, the good food, the magnificent clothing, jewellery, art and buildings they were used to. In Britain they were in so much peril and physical squalor, cut off from almost all good things, there in that uncertain frontier.

Later all the actions are of "civilised" British sailing up the Congo, up the farthest reaches of the British Empire near its height, with the African natives the ones to be in frail little huts, and their actions, culture and language strange, barbaric, "uncivilised". But apart from descriptions of sailing into the jungle, I don't think Conrad uses a phrase like "Dark Place" or "Heart of Darkness" while the action is in Africa. I could be mistaken, it's a long time ago since I read it.

The parallel and turnabout metaphor is clear, yet I think it's a perceptive one by Conrad (or whoever he got it from) and it was very important that he stated it. Almost all European colonialists were inclined to think of themselves as real humans, and the peoples they conquered as subhuman, because of the difference in technology and because of religious bigotry. They often used the opportunity or trick of passing themselves off as gods to the poor ignorant barbarians if it suited their wants.

Thus to baldly state, to remind English readers that Britain used to be a very backwards, barbarian, uncivilised place compared to a foreign Empire was not only insightful, but challenging or daring of him to do so.

The precession of the rise and fall of empires, political, commercial, military or whatever, is still a very relevant fact for every human to remember.

Edited, Aug 25th 2009 12:37pm by Aripyanfar

I'm pretty sure it's meant as a multi-layered metaphor. What would make a place "dark" after all, when we aren't talking about the physical absence of electromagnetic waves?