Tag Archives: Joseph Conrad

America’s Heart of Darkness Beginnings

By Robin Bates | Published: February 26, 2013

America’s bloody beginnings are part of who we still are.

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Sweethearts Now Cleared for Combat

By Robin Bates | Published: January 28, 2013

Tim O’Brien’s Vietnam War story about a woman who goes rogue has things to teach us about the recent suspension of the Pentagon ban on women in combat.

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Armstrong’s Heart of Darkness

By Robin Bates | Published: October 13, 2012

One our ideal, Lance Armstrong has proved to be more like Kurtz in “Heart of Darkness.”

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Great Political Novels Not Agenda Driven

By Robin Bates | Published: September 27, 2012

Great political novels are rich in spiritual attitude. Poor ones are agenda driven.

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Following Shipwreck, Replay of Lord Jim?

By Robin Bates | Published: January 17, 2012

Joseph Conrad’s novel “Lord Jim” came to mind when I heard reports that the captain of the shipwrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia may have abandoned the ship before all the passengers were off.

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Dirty Work = Heart of Darkness

By Robin Bates | Published: September 5, 2011

In “Heart of Darkness,” Joseph Conrad indirectly teaches us that doing work that contributes to human misery will take a toll, however much we try to focus just on the work.

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Twain Was No Racist (Not Even Close)

By Robin Bates | Published: November 17, 2010

“I hope that like Mark Twain, 100 years from now people will see my work and think, ‘Wow. That is actually pretty racist.’” –Tina Fey accepting the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Thanks to a visiting lecturer in our Mark Twain series, I have a new understanding of Huckleberry Finn that is exciting me […]

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A Tribute to the Workers of the World

By Robin Bates | Published: September 6, 2010

Here’s a special Labor Day post for the workers of the world—those who have jobs and those who don’t, those who are overworked and those who are underemployed, those who are treated fairly and those who are exploited, those who are just starting out and those who have been working for a long time, those […]

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Lies Reveal Who We Wish We Were

By Robin Bates | Published: May 25, 2010

Pierre Corneille        I’ve been thinking about lying recently.  One reason is because I recently saw a David Ives adaptation of Pierre Corneille’s 17th century comedy The Liar at the Washington Shakespeare Theater.  Another is because of Maureen Dowd’s interesting NYT column Sunday about politicians who lie when they don’t have to. Dowd is writing about Richard […]

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