Heart of Darkness/Things Fall Apart

Joseph Conrad and Chinua Achebe

“The scrupulous and the just, the noble, humane, and devoted natures; the unselfish and the intelligent may begin a movement – but it passes away from them. They are not the leaders of a revolution. They are its victims.”–Joseph Conrad

Novel Resources

Heart of Darkness Reading Guide is under construction, but offers some insight into the beginning of the novel.

The
Wikipedia entry for Heart of Darkness could
certainly use your assistance to become a better
resource for future students.

Heart of Darkness Character Guide is a look at the relatively small number of characters in the novel.

Heart of Darkness E-Text The complete text of the novel.

Other Resources

Woe to the man whose heart has not learned while young to hope, to love – and to put its trust in life.”-Joseph Conrad

Coming Soon

Scholarly Writing

“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men." –Joseph Conrad

A Literary Critique of Imperialism
by David Papke explores the the novel’s exposure of the exploitation of foreign lands and people.

Cultural Psychosis on the Frontier by Tony Brown.

The Horror of Good Intentions by Carola Kaplan

Heart of Darkness and late Victorian Fascination with the Primitive and the Double by Samir Elbarbary

An Interview with GGM, in which he discusses his writing, the cultural of Central America, and his writing.

“People go to Africa and confirm what they already have in their heads and so they fail to see what is there in front of them. This is what people have come to expect. It’s not viewed as a serious continent. It’s a place of strange, bizarre and illogical things, where people don’t do what common sense demands.” –Chinua Achebe

Novel Resources

Study Guide and Reading Questions — A comprehensive set of reading questions, organized by chapters of the book.

Another Things Fall Apart Study Guide — An excellent site devoted to the novel, including some thought-provoking questions.

Things Fall Apart Cyber Guide — An incredibly comprehensive guide to the novel by English teacher Tchaiko Kwayana.

Character Map –A visual chart of the characters in the novel.

Achebe’s Technique and Personal Background — A look at Chinua Achebe, his writing technique, and purpose of his writing.

The Wikipedia entry for Things Fall Apart is basically only useful for plot summary now, but you can make it better.

Mr. Pogreba’s Introductory Notes Post-Colonial Criticism

Random House Novel Summary and Study Questions –– A good set of thought-provoking questions about the novel.

Other Resources

“Art is man’s constant effort to create for himself a different order of reality from that which is given to him.”–Chinua Achebe

The Second Coming –The Yeats poem that inspired the title of the work.

The Hollow Men
— The poem by Yeats.

The Congo –– the Vachel Lindsay poem made famous by Dead Poets Society.

Curious George and Colonialism looks at how Western culture, even in children’s works, often constructs Africa as the other.

What about Babar? explores the same theme.

An Image of Africa by Chinua Achebe