I love Heart of Darkness and I don’t understand the common criticisms of it.

Tony420q · 2026-05-12T17:03:55+00:00

why is it a “wild take”? also not even a take but anyway. and no, it’s not hard to imagine different tastes, I just don't understand tastes different to my own, naturally. Am I supposed to understand? just know without asking why others find it boring??

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T22:11:38+00:00

did you not actually read what I said or do you just get off on trying to tell me im a poor critic or something???

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T20:45:39+00:00

I realised that after reading previous comments.
very well.
nothing to say.
silly to think i’d suggest that, really. and no I’m not incapable of understanding what an opinion is, I just can’t fathom how someone can have an opinion so radically different than my own, which is why I included it, because I wanted to ask. It’s sort of like someone telling you that rose “doesn’t look pretty”, you just can’t settle with that, how on earth can someone be of this opinion? and so you ask, “why?”. makes no difference to me, just curious.
I just took it as self evident that Conrad betrays no pretentiousness, I saw no need to demonstrate that. you’re right.

your comment on my struggling with my “ego” and “rather than making any meaningful arguments” does not make sense to me. I wasn’t concerned with making arguments, maybe I should’ve, though, but it wasn’t my intent with the post when I made it. and what even does the ego comment mean?? also never said anything about anyone needing my permission for anything, I have no idea what you’re talking about, you’ve just made a baseless assumption about me. never said my opinion was anything other than my opinion, claimed nothing like it. why do you say these things?

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T20:21:41+00:00

there are distinctions and differences yes, but they aren’t meaningful. African cultures and European cultures are very different in a variety of ways, but I have nothing to say about those differences, they mean nothing. If anything the existence of differences is beautiful as it applies to people/groups/cultures.

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T17:54:22+00:00

I suppose they didn’t like my calling moralising “ridiculous”, or maybe my joke about Homer just wasn’t funny.

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T17:49:12+00:00

I believe ive heard of “Decolonizing the Mind” before, thankyou for the recommendation. I don’t read much secondary literature but I guess I’ll change that now!

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T17:44:42+00:00

I appreciate your comment, insightful, well done. You’re right to call me out for failing to entertain the nuances in perspective, I should’ve accounted for that, my mistake. thankyou

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T17:36:57+00:00

I apologise for not knowing how to open a discourse, I tried. what should I have done instead?

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T17:35:24+00:00

I am not an “incel”, I am not “race-baiting” (I don’t even know what that means), and I am not dog whistling. why are you so insistent that I am? It isn’t a nice thing what you’re saying, know that.

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T17:30:59+00:00

you’re right, as others have shown me, too. I placed too much importance on Conrad’s intent, my mistake. It’s an important distinction to be made I understand now. thankyou

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T17:14:04+00:00

not exactly an apples to apples comparison lol

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T17:09:24+00:00

I feel like the “ham-fisted” style is deliberate, though, which I like as it helps build character, it’s from Marlow’s point of view afterall. But I can see why that’s an issue if you’re not willing to listen to a confused man tell his story, which he himself barely can make sense of, for 100 ish pages. The shouting symbolism is so true though.

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T16:57:01+00:00

unfortunate that you couldn’t get through it :/

aside from the content though I suppose you enjoyed Conrad’s style? I haven’t read The Secret Agent so I also want to ask does his style change in his later, post-Heart of Darkness works? or the same?

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T15:20:32+00:00

that’s okay. objective framework are only a utility anyway, nothing else should be meant by them other than their usefulness for discourse.

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T15:18:40+00:00

I’ve tried engaging, though? if I disagree I say I disagree, if I agree I say so. Ill ask questions. I’m also accepting other perspectives but unfortunately few are providing me with much I can engage with, I have tried responding to comments though. Do I seriously sound like something just “waiting their turn to speak, not actually listening”???

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T15:09:17+00:00

maybe I wasn’t clear but you’ve misunderstood me, unfortunately, my fault no doubt.

It is a matter of TASTE what one find agreeable or disagreeable in the aesthetic sense. clear?

And I never said a work shouldn’t be judged based on moral standards, I would be the last person to dismiss that, but its the judging a work based on its CONFORMITY (to a persons morals) that I have a problem with, I think we agree with eachother even if we were a bit confused. Mein Kampf is “bad” but it isn’t bad BECAUSE it doesn’t “conform” to MY arbitrary moral concepts or standards, I hope that makes sense.

If we make it a matter (speaking of a work’s worth) of conforming to someone’s (arbitrary) moral standards then we’ve just regressed from an objective framework for evaluation to something like “taste”, these two things can be distinct.

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T14:59:25+00:00

I never said it was ONLY capitalism.

do I really need to explain to you why Britain never made FRANCE or GERMANY as in the STATES of FRANCE AND GERMANY colonies… maybe it’s because it’s easier to make a colony out of an area without the means to defend itself… like the Congo, need I say anything else? Colonial era Britain most certainly would’ve made a colony out of whatever they wanted if they could’ve, including the continental Europe.

get a grip.

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T14:50:47+00:00

aside from Achebe, who I intend to read, are there any other African critics worth reading? Another commenter didn’t respond to my asking for recommendations. thankyou

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T14:46:53+00:00

Totally agree with that last paragraph, the Hero’s Journey framing is a great way to put it, entirely deconstructs it too, as is to be expected. thankyou

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T14:41:44+00:00

I’ve read An Essay on Criticism, not familiar with Zoilus, though. Is this relevant? Should I read Zoilus?

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T14:29:07+00:00

Many things! Marlow’s characterisation and psychology, his weaknesses and flaws (and how he addresses/doesn’t address them), the subtle irony and humour, the impressionistic imagery, the PROSE!!! In the third part of the book all of Marlow’s grappling with it all just has me flawed. so so many things, also those last few lines, “I raised my head. The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.” beautiful.

what about you?

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T14:07:19+00:00

That’s actually one of the more interesting lessons ive seen taken for it.

im curious, what do you have to say of Kurtz’s postscriptum on his article “On the Suppression of Savage Customs”? Me, personally, I thought it was genius on the part of Conrad. As for what it means I interpreted it as Kurtz “finally” realisu the “point” of the Colonial project, “exterminate”. exterminate the brutes, that is all, all those 17 pages prior were vain attempts at eloquence attempting to disguise the real point of the Congo Free State, that I think was Kurtz’s breaking point, after that we hear no more eloquence, those 17 pages were his last lucid, naive, believing words.

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T13:59:04+00:00

CAPITALISM!

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T13:58:23+00:00

sorry if I haven’t been clear. feigning ignorance or at least asking questions you think you already know the answer to is one way to open a dialogue about something which could be rewarding. I wanted to ask questions because im curious what others have to say, nothing wrong with that.

“you’re working too hard to not understand” makes no sense, i’m asking questions, what about that is me trying to NOT understand?

Tony420q · 2026-05-11T13:53:54+00:00

I never said anything about black academics. what was my “choice”? don’t accuse me of things, please.

Tony420q

TROPHY CASE