Literary Compromises

Blackwood's MagazineAfter reading an article by Tanya Gokulsing regarding the different components of Joseph Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness, one section really stood out to me. Gokulsing’s discussion about Conrad’s writing and its relation to Blackwood’s Magazine was both eye opening and intriguing. I find it very interesting that many elements of Conrad’s famous novella were created in order to appease the readers of the magazine in which it was first published. According to this article, Conrad consciously tried to shape his novella in a way that would not insult any of his readers. I find it remarkable that an author would put so much weight on the reviews of his readers rather than writing about his genuine ideals and opinions.

The article also asserts that many of Conrad’s choices were used in order to appeal to the “common” readers of Blackwood’s Magazine. I think that in the characters that Conrad created and the stylistic approach he chose he was definitely trying to make his story accessible to the target audience of the magazine. By making the novella a first person account of the events described the reader is more likely to have a personal connection to the story. Whether the reader was an imperialist or a die-hard anti-imperialist he was still able to connect to the events that took place.

In trying to make a name for himself in the literary world, Conrad made many smart writing decisions that possibly led to the great success of his novella. Conrad was careful in making the discussion of imperialism based on Belgium imperialism rather than that of Great Britain. This was a smart move because it left no room for speculation that Conrad was criticizing the nation that his key demographic resided in. Conrad protected himself from backlash by remaining somewhat neutral on this topic. He was effectively able to show the effects of imperialism without risking the loss of devoted readers.

In the end, it is important to remember that even the literary world is a business. Joseph Conrad made many decisions in his writing of Heart of Darkness in order to gain a respect among the readers of Blackwood’s Magazine. These decisions could have compromised his own beliefs but in the end they led to a successful and fascinating novella.