Abstract

Ever since its publication, Conrad’s Heart of Darkness has been discussed from all perspectives among which the colonialist and post-colonialist critique has gained much prevalence. Some consider it an anti-colonialist work because of its focus on the brutality and depravity of Western colonialists in Africa; others argue that the novella is to some extent consistent with colonialist ideology for its Western value based distortion of the image of Africans. Accordingly, questions are raised: does Heart of Darkness oppose colonialism or does it unconsciously promote colonialism; is it appropriate to interpret the novella on the ideological and moral basis; does this method diminish the richness of the novella?

This thesis employs narrative theory as its main method and discusses the innovative narrative techniques applied in Heart of Darkness. With narrative analysis it explores the relevance between the theme of the novella and colonialist ideology. It starts with the introduction of the basic narrative structure of the novella. Secondly it analyzes the multiple points of view including typical colonialist perspectives, progressive anti-colonialist perspectives and ambivalent skeptical perspectives. It then moves to the discussion of the temporal and spatial shifts in the novella and their effects. After interpreting the novella with narrative methods, it compares the theme of Heart of Darkness with the basic points of colonialist critiques and post-colonialist critiques. By pointing out that both colonialist and post-colonialist critiques tend to focus solely on ideological concepts while neglecting the distinctive narrative of the novella, this thesis concludes with the limitation of moral and ideological interpretation. In addition, the narrative analysis of this thesis also sheds some light on the narrative artistry of Heart of Darkness.

Key words: colonialism, post-colonialism, narrative, ideology, morality