Tuesday, December 18, 2007

December-Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

The ten participants at December's meeting were led by David in an enthusiastic discussion of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. David began with a short survey of critics' opinions of the work, and continued with a condensed biography of the author. He then surprised us with the information that Francis Ford Coppola's film Apocalypse Now is a modern retelling of Heart of Darkness. Parallels between the book and the film were pointed out.

The discussion continued with a list of discussion questions. We considered:
The meaning of the title; the motives of the British colonists; the contrasts between Kurtz's female native companion and his "intended" left behind in England; and the question of whether men who think they are invulnerable to the forces of darkness are, at that point, most vulnerable to temptation. We then briefly considered the question "Is man innately good, but corrupted by society, or is man innately evil and saved by society." Please feel free to comment to the blog with your own opinions.

The next meeting is on January 17. Brenda will lead a discussion of Saints at the River by Ron Rash. We will meet at 5:30 here at the library. Watch this blog, or check at the Beaufort Reference Desk for the room location.