I liked the concept behind Heart of Darkness. I think it was hard to read, which may be attributed to the style that Joseph Conrad wanted to portray. I liked the plot and the idea of the story. The parallels as well as the obvious evolution in Marlow, which can be noted by many factors including his lie at the end of the novel, are very beneficial to the story. I agree with Kathan, the fixation that MArlow has on Kurtz is a bit weird, but at the same time I think all of us have similar obsessions at one point or another.
Someone in class today said that they thought of Kurtz as extremely old, however I think we have to remember that in those time periods people had a much shorter life span than we do today, I would guess 40 years old was considered elderly.
Overall, I liked the novel. I think the term having a Heart of Darkness can be said about everyone. Human kind has definitely proved it has an evil side, and even if you are outwardly an angel, you probably have inner thoughts that reflect a heart of darkness.
I thought you'd "like" it, Julia, as much as anyone likes H of D. Remember the passage: "a fascination of the abomination"? Could apply to Marlow's obsession with Kurtz and perhaps to our entire semester! I'm not sure that Kurtz is that old. I think that his "lack of restraint" and addiction to evil has aged him. He doesn't have a picture in the upstairs room like DG!
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