Achebe on Conrad

[Otto Sell]

>
> > To explain that "HoD" is no work of art is fair?
>
> Now you're misquoting him! He questions whether _HoD_ "can be called a
great
> work of art." He praises both Conrad and the text for its "art". But
*this*
> is what concerns him:
>
>     Conrad [ ... ] is undoubtedly one of the great stylists of modern
>     fiction and a good storyteller into the bargain. His contribution
>     therefore falls automatically into a different class -- permanent
>     literature -- read and taught and constantly evaluated by serious
>     academics. _Heart of Darkness_ is indeed so secure today that a
leading
>     Conrad scholar has numbered it "among the half-dozen greatest short
>     novels in the English language." [ ... ]
>
> http://www.erinyes.org/hod/image.of.africa.html
>
>
> best

"some of his best assaults"

Yes, he raises the question and I answer: yes, it still can be called a
great work of art. I just disagree to the conclusion I saw evoked in his
question. That's all. If, like you see it, there's no dismissal of "HoD"
meant by Achebe and there's some misunderstanding on my side reading his
essays everything is fine.

"Herein lies the meaning of Heart of Darkness and the fascination it holds
over the Western mind: "What thrilled you was just the thought of their
humanity -- like yours .... Ugly.""

Is Conrad "attacking" the Africans? What is Conrad saying here and in
general? That the Africans are ugly or that all being human is ugly? Nobody
doubts that the novel inevitably relies on racist language, but does it say:
feel superior - no, not at all, the contrary. It says 'these poor victims of
our greed are human as we are and we are as monstrous as we perceive them.
To them and in fact we are the real monsters.'

In many other points, not necessarily about Conrad, but about today's
Western view on Africa, Mr. Achebe is absolutely right imo:
"Ultimately the abandonment of unwholesome thoughts must be its own and only
reward."

Most of my history lessons were made up of lies, but the one which included
reading "HoD" was very important to me. And in one aspect Mr. Achebe's
critic on Conrad is very important too to me: What is my own "image" of the
Africans and Africa made of? "HoD" and "TFA" are both part of it and I never
saw them as opposites.

regards

Otto