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Joseph Conrad Is Born
Joseph Conrad is born on December 3rd, 1857 in Berdychiv, Ukraine. -
Heart of Darkness Origins
In 1890, at the age of 31, Conrad is appointed by a trading company to captain a steamer on the Congo River. Heart of Darkness is acknowledged to have been based off of Conrad's personal expeditions through the Congo River, and many of the novels characters, especially the protagonist, Charles Marlow, to have been based off of Joseph Conrad himself and the crew of the steamer he captained. -
Heart of Darkness is Published
Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is first published in February of 1899 in Blackwood's Magazine as part of a three-part serial. The later parts were published in March and April. -
Youth: A Narrative, and Two Other Stories
Heart of Darkness is later included in the book "Youth: A Narrative, and Two Other Stories", published on November 13, 1902 by William Blackwood. The volume consisted of Conrad's works: Youth: A Narrative, Heart of Darkness, and The End of the Tether, appearing in that order, to represent the three stages of life. The character Charles Marlow first appears in Youth: A Narrative. -
Joseph Conrad Dies
Joseph Conrad, at age 66, passes away in his home in Bishopsbourne, England, of most likely a heart attack. Many memorials have been constructed in honor of Conrad. -
Scholarly Recognition
After gaining critical acclaim, Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" is now standard reading material in many college and high school English classes. -
Heart of Darkness Comes Under Fire
Conrad's Heart of Darkness falls under harsh controversy after the publication of Chinua Achebe's "An Image of Africa", in which Achebe accuses Joseph Conrad of racism and portraying African civilization in a false manner. Many writers and critics would go on to criticize Achebe in support of Joseph Conrad. -
Apocalypse Now Adaption
Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, "Apocalypse Now" is the most famous adaptation of the novel. The setting is moved from the rivers of Africa to the jungle of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. -
Modern Library Ranking
In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Heart of Darkness as the sixty-seventh of the hundred best novels in English of the twentieth century. -
Reception in Modern Society
Heart of Darkness still holds critical acclaim and is considered by many to be one of the greatest novels of all time. It has become standard reading material in many colleges and high school courses around the world.
The novel is still being examined in many articles like this one: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/5708673/Joseph-Conrads-Heart-of-Darkness.html -
Public Reception
Because of it's high popularity and critical succes, Heart of Darkness has been featured in the collection of works and novels by the companies SparkNotes and CliffNotes.
Here is a "Video SparkNotes" presentation of the novel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIFUHIM-w7M&list=UUR14DE0k0V3QCwafzEI1CvQ
