GRGR Re: Achebe on Conrad

[Dave Monroe]

I agree as well.   I've probably had to read, starting in high school,
Conrad's Heart of Darkness in, for a classroom setting more than any
other work, strangely enough, and I was at first surprised by comments
on Conrad's colonialism or whatever.  Did indeed seem a step up from
Kipling, for starters, and, certainly, from representations in most
other media (cinema, television, fiction [historical and/or science,
much of which can indeed be read as historical, ethnographic, even,
litearture by other means ...],and so forth).  An indictment of sorts,
even.

Reminds me of a favorite case, that of Jane Austen, troubling all those
Victorian class, gender, power, even, relationships, generally, in the
end, reasserting the Vivtorian line (via class-appropriate marriages,
non-marriages, largely) nonetheless, and yet, those questions had been
raised, those relationships had been troubled, one need not necessarily
accept a text's conclusion, conclusions, whilst working through its
prolems, problematics (and one must wonder, to what extent did Austen
intend, expect anyone to?  To what extent COULD she have, even?  Effects
beyond intentions, in any case ...).  All texts are ineviatably of their
contexts, albeit in a dynamic, rather than determinate, relationship
with them.  Iinteresting question here is, how so with those of Thomas
Pynchon?

Kevin, jbor wrote:

A great amount of _HoD_'s tensions are
> driven by perspective, and it is worthwhile to criticize it from
> perspectives not found in the book.

This is, again, extremely well put. Thank you.