Volume 41, Number 5 · March 3, 1994
Lost Paradises
By Michael Wood
Culture and Imperialism
by Edward W. Said
Knopf, 380 pp., $25.00
What redeems certain empires, or perhaps only the British, according to Conrad's Marlow, what saves them from mere rapacity, from being 'just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a great scale,' is 'the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretence but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea—something you can set up, and bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to.' At this point in Heart of Darkness Marlow is said to break off. It is 'only after a long silence' and 'in a hesitating voice' that he speaks again, and starts to tell the story of his journey to Africa and his meeting with the mysterious and dying Kurtz.
Review, 6338 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |