Rick B. (bup) - , reviewed on 2/10/2011 + 165 more book reviews

Plenty of classics, stuff assigned in school and whatnot, are probably good if you read them for a class (like I was supposed to do with "Heart of Darkness" in high school 30 years ago, but I didn't), but aren't great for the casual reader - someone reading for enjoyment without somebody else to point out all the stuff they're missing. That could lead to an interesting discussion of whether those books are actually *good*, I suppose - if it requires somebody to explain why it's good, is it? - but never mind.

"Heart of Darkness," in my view, is good reading for the casual reader. It's an interesting story, comically dark ("do you measure their heads again when they come back?" "Nobody ever comes back."), with a great portrait of a corrupted official whose lost all sense of perspective (or has he? That's probably something we discussed in class 30 years ago).

Besides, "Kurtz" is a cultural touchstone. At all those fancy parties you go to, people are throwing out the name with an assumption you'll get the reference. So you should probably read this.

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