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Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

11 reviews

idonttcareeeee's review against another edition

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dark informative tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

this was really interesting being able to see first-hand what it was like to be in Africa during the scramble for Africa era. very informative and very crazy. you learn about it in school, but you really learn about it in school, just kind of what happens on the outside, yk? not what its like in Africa. Especially from a white guy who still has enough of his humanity to be at least a little disturbed by some of the things the white people were already doing. 

maya jasanoff did so good with her afterword for this edition, beautifully done. 
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simo72's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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ekgranstro's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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saraaaa's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective fast-paced
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A very mild read, whose status as a classic is surely upheld by its relevance as a historical document. Conrad harshly criticizes colonialism, but does so from within the racist framework of his times.
I liked that the reader is constantly reminded that the story is being told by a specific character with specific views on life, and therefore is only one of many different perspectives on the narrated events.
Conrad paints the colonial environment and the Congolese forest as engulfed in a haunting, menacing spell that gives an air of magic realism to the novella – when it did not have the tones of exoticism, it painted a beautiful picture.
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anhedonia_n_anomie's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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luis0n7i's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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edesia_guest's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Important to read to understand ideas perpetuated at the time but it’s still a horrible book which holds bias and prejudice. you need to be aware of the author and context but if sensitive just avoid. 
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rory_john14's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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thesawyerbean's review against another edition

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challenging dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Huh? I am so confused about what I just read. That has to be some of the most verbose and constipated writing I have ever read. I could barely understand what the point of the book was. If it wasn’t so short, I would’ve DNFed it very fast.

I can give it credit for its historical importance, as one of the first writings by a white author to bring attention to the deplorable horrors, genocide and violence of colonialism in Africa. However, this doesn’t mean it was good. In fact, I would hazard to say it was more dehumanising to the  people it was attempting to uplift. What was even more perplexing was that the very man who had committed atrocities, that the whole plot line was apparently centred around, was then heralded as some kind of god, hero or virtuous man after his death, instead of the despot he was.

I don’t know, maybe I was simply not paying enough attention because I was severely bored, but I do not get it.
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doomluz's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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