Joseph Conrad’s compelling novella, marked by an ominous tone and a sense of unspeakable menace, is a literary introduction to the savage 20th century. In this program, noted Conrad scholars Bruce Harkness, Frederick Karl, Jerome Meckier, and Dwight Purdy examine the author’s life within the context of his times: the pervasive influence of his Polish background, the impact of the sense of isolation he experienced as a merchant marine, and the nightmarish conditions in King Leopold’s Belgian Congo. Historic photos and maps help set the tale in the context of time and place. In addition, experts analyze Marlow, Kurtz, the Accountant, the Manager, and Kurtz’s fiancée; discuss the importance of literary techniques such as juxtapositioning; interpret the meaning of Kurtz’s last words and Marlow’s lie to the fiancée regarding them; and consider the story’s bleak implication that it is only the knowledge of one’s own perversity that separates humankind from the darkness. (30 minutes)