“Narrative Rhetoric and Moral Distance in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness: A Boothian reading”

English literature

This paper applies Wayne C. Booth’s The Rhetoric of Fiction to Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness to explore how narrative form functions as an ethical and rhetorical instrument. By analyzing concepts such as the implied author, narrative reliability, and narrative distance, the study demonstrates how Conrad’s use of Marlow as a limited and often unreliable narrator creates moral ambiguity and invites readers to engage actively in ethical evaluation. The paper argues that the novella’s critique of imperialism is conveyed indirectly through rhetorical strategies rather than explicit moral commentary, exemplifying Booth’s claim that fiction communicates values persuasively and ethically. Ultimately, the study highlights the enduring relevance of Booth’s theory for understanding the ethical power of narrative in modern literature.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.