Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart Essay -- comparison compare co

My interest in Joseph Conrad is centered around understanding what brought him to the Congo and how the events that transpired there influenced his attitudes in tenderness of Darkness. I also wanted to gain a greater understanding of the historical events that led to the colonization of the Congo. This interest is basically grounded in the fact that earlier to my exposure to Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart, I knew virtually nothing about what actually led to the colonization of the area. It is my hope that through researching these areas I willing have a deeper understanding of the two novels that focused on the Congo. In the article, Post-colonial Literatures and Counter-discourse, Helen Tiffin raises a number of issues in regards to the hybridization of the colonized and how European universals incessantly clash with that of the native. From the very beginning of the article, Tiffin notes that there is a call to arms (so to speak) that encompasses the deman d for an entirely new or wholly recovered reality, desolate from all colonial taint (95). This hope is idealistic, especially when evaluating the role that the English language plays in the lives of those who are colonized. Tiffin realizes this fact and views most post-colonial literature as a counter-discursive mode of expression that is highly involved in challenging the notion of literary universality (96).   The most interesting challenge raised by this European universality is the fact that many post-colonial authors use English as the means to express or disassemble notions of these supposed commonly held mores, thereby creating a hybridized literature. Tiffin notes that in a canonical counter-discourse . . . the post-colo... ...Victory, an Island Tale, 1915. Within the Tides, 1915 (contents The Partner, 1911 The Inn of the Two Witches, 1913 Because of the Dollars, 1914 The Planter of Malata, 1914). The Shadow-Line, a Confession, 1917. The Arrow of Gold, a Story Between two Notes, 1919. The save A Romance of the Shallows, 1920. Notes on Life and Letters, 1921. The Secret Agent, Drama in Four Acts, 1921 (adaptation of the novel). The Rover, 1923. Laughing Anne, a Play, 1923 (adaptation of Because of the Dollars). The Nature of a Crime, With Ford Madox Hueffer, 1924 (written in 1908). Suspense, a Napoleonic Novel, 1925 (incomplete). Tales of Hearsay, 1925 (contents The Black Mate, 1908 Prince Roman, 1911 The Tale, 1917 The Warriors Soul, 1917). Last Essays, 1926. The Sisters, 1928 (written in 1896, incomplete).