An Exceptional Man? Kurtz and fascination with colonialism, from Conrad to Coppola
In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is constantly described as an exceptional figure: after excelling in the colonial enterprise in an outstanding way, he becomes its extraordinarily horrific incarnation in the eyes of the company and of the narrator Marlow, who each give expression to conte...
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Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès
2021
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oai:doaj.org-article:2c3c92ee413c40d0925f8bda2be9519c2021-12-02T10:41:59ZAn Exceptional Man? Kurtz and fascination with colonialism, from Conrad to Coppola2108-655910.4000/miranda.42610https://doaj.org/article/2c3c92ee413c40d0925f8bda2be9519c2021-10-01T00:00:00Zhttp://journals.openedition.org/miranda/42610https://doaj.org/toc/2108-6559In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is constantly described as an exceptional figure: after excelling in the colonial enterprise in an outstanding way, he becomes its extraordinarily horrific incarnation in the eyes of the company and of the narrator Marlow, who each give expression to contemporary colonial anxieties concerning atavism and “going native”. Kurtz’s exceptionalism thereby gives rise to the fascination with colonialism itself that structures the text. However, Conrad undermines this fascination by inviting us to read the figure as the most banal and ordinary product of Western civilization, neither remarkable nor terrifying. This paper argues that the banalization of Kurtz is key to any critique of colonialism that might be read in this text. It then examines Francis Ford Coppola’s reprisal of the figure in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now to show that by exacerbating Kurtz’s exceptional nature, the film encourages fascination with the colonial enterprise and absolute power once again.Naomi TothUniversité Toulouse - Jean JaurèsarticleJoseph ConradHeart of DarknessFrancis Ford CoppolaApocalypse NowcolonialismfascinationSociology (General)HM401-1281ENFRMiranda: Revue Pluridisciplinaire du Monde Anglophone, Vol 23 (2021) |
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DOAJ |
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EN FR |
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Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness Francis Ford Coppola Apocalypse Now colonialism fascination Sociology (General) HM401-1281 |
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Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness Francis Ford Coppola Apocalypse Now colonialism fascination Sociology (General) HM401-1281 Naomi Toth An Exceptional Man? Kurtz and fascination with colonialism, from Conrad to Coppola |
| description |
In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Kurtz is constantly described as an exceptional figure: after excelling in the colonial enterprise in an outstanding way, he becomes its extraordinarily horrific incarnation in the eyes of the company and of the narrator Marlow, who each give expression to contemporary colonial anxieties concerning atavism and “going native”. Kurtz’s exceptionalism thereby gives rise to the fascination with colonialism itself that structures the text. However, Conrad undermines this fascination by inviting us to read the figure as the most banal and ordinary product of Western civilization, neither remarkable nor terrifying. This paper argues that the banalization of Kurtz is key to any critique of colonialism that might be read in this text. It then examines Francis Ford Coppola’s reprisal of the figure in the 1979 film Apocalypse Now to show that by exacerbating Kurtz’s exceptional nature, the film encourages fascination with the colonial enterprise and absolute power once again. |
| format |
article |
| author |
Naomi Toth |
| author_facet |
Naomi Toth |
| author_sort |
Naomi Toth |
| title |
An Exceptional Man? Kurtz and fascination with colonialism, from Conrad to Coppola |
| title_short |
An Exceptional Man? Kurtz and fascination with colonialism, from Conrad to Coppola |
| title_full |
An Exceptional Man? Kurtz and fascination with colonialism, from Conrad to Coppola |
| title_fullStr |
An Exceptional Man? Kurtz and fascination with colonialism, from Conrad to Coppola |
| title_full_unstemmed |
An Exceptional Man? Kurtz and fascination with colonialism, from Conrad to Coppola |
| title_sort |
exceptional man? kurtz and fascination with colonialism, from conrad to coppola |
| publisher |
Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès |
| publishDate |
2021 |
| url |
https://doaj.org/article/2c3c92ee413c40d0925f8bda2be9519c |
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AT naomitoth anexceptionalmankurtzandfascinationwithcolonialismfromconradtocoppola AT naomitoth exceptionalmankurtzandfascinationwithcolonialismfromconradtocoppola |
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