Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
In an interview with the Irish Times, Deirdre Kinahan stated that the biggest influence on her writing is Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness. Heart of Darkness was written in 1899, and tells of a journey by English sailors into the Congo Free State, Africa. The novel explores themes of colonialism, imperialism, and civilization. Conrad's writing was particularly notable at the time for subverting European depictions of Africans as inhuman and barbaric. An article written about Conrad says that he is “interested in setting up fictional scenarios in which an apparently obvious set of values, or accepted belief system, is thrown into question -- he forces his readers to acknowledge the limitations of their own knowledge.” Kinahan’s play also seeks to question accepted views and perspectives on serious topics like murder, punishment, and morality. Heart of Darkness is also considered to be an early modernist novel, and includes themes like isolation and the frustration with a fractured modern society. Moment also incorporates modernist techniques and themes, which are often voiced by the character of Niamh.
|