I experienced the classic novella Heart of Darkness through the animated voice of the acclaimed Kenneth Branagh, which I daresay is the ideal way to go about ‘reading’ this book. It worked particularly well for two reasons:
- The novella is written in the style of a story that is being told aloud to his shipmates, so audiobook works particularly well
- Branagh’s interpretation of the text and intonation on certain phrases was, in my view, a preferable interpretation of the text than could otherwise be read.
I won’t tiptoe around this: it’s a 1899 novel about a steam captain’s expedition into the Congo. The language used to described the indigenous people is offensive. There’s no two ways about it.
But, contrary to the pervasive modern view of the novella (at least that I’ve read), I thought the message at the heart (heh) of the story is one of deep sadness. From Branagh’s narration, I was left with the distinct feeling that the story is a harsh critique of colonialism and the horrific impact it had on the people of Congo. That the Heart of Darkness here refers to the inevitable result of greed-driven colonisation of the Congo Free State (as it was named at the time), and the untold suffering that westerners left in their wake. The phrase ‘the horror, the horror’ and the devastating imagery of this story will stay with me for a long time.
But having said that, I haven’t completed anything close to an academic study of the text. I listened to this while weeding, commuting, and walking my dogs. I probably missed a great deal. But all I can do in my review is share with you how I felt listening to this story and, and as I said above, my interpretation was likely heavily influenced by Branagh’s narrative choices.
It’s been alleged that The Heart of Darkness has been analysed more than literary text in universities and among academics, and I can see why.
For my part, I’ll give the story 3 rivets out of 5. But I’d give Branagh full marks if I could.