Thursday, February 07, 2008

Past Readings

I've decided to re-read some of my old books from past literature courses at Carleton.

These were books that I never finished reading because the instructor expected me to read the whole thing within a week, along with all the other readings I had. There were other books that I actually finished, but didn't enjoy because I was forced to analyze every little detail.

Starting things off: Joe Conrad's Heart of Darkness

Wish me luck!

The Hek

4 comments:

Blake said...

Heart of Darkness is a truly excellent novella. I read it for fun about two years ago. Conrad is quite a vivid storyteller, dense with imagery and characterization. Bleak and disturbing at times, yet compelling nonetheless. A powerful piece - definitely worth the read!

By the way, if you're interested about the factual/historical basis of the story (Conrad drew inspiration from his own experience in the Congo: eight and a half years before writing the book, he had served as the captain of a Congo steamer) I would highly suggest you read King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild. Another great read!

Eric Rosenhek said...

Thanks Blake. Actually, the version I have also contains a diary of Conrad's time in Africa.

Anonymous said...

Good luck!

- Mr. Wood

Eric Rosenhek said...

thanks!