A Novel of Transition: Conrad’s Heart of Darkness

This book demonstrates that Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, which is often referred to by literary critics as a modernist novel from the content and technical aspects, is a transitional novel which reflects both the preceding Victorian and succeeding Modernist periods. Since Heart of Darkness was written in 1899 and published in 1902, the last phase of the Victorian period and simultaneously the beginning of the modernist period, it reflects Victorian literary traits, beliefs, values and ideologies of colonialism, the inferior position of women and the use of religion as a mask. Heart of Darkness as a transitional novel projects the good and evil in human nature that transcends periods and equally portrays Conrad’s vision for man’s capacity to live the virtues of restraint, truth, sincerity and respect for one another irrespective of race, religion, colour or sex. Hypocrisy, greed, cruelty, manipulation and barbarism are pernicious vices which he vehemently condemns