Horror in Joseph Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ and ‘The Secret Agent

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 2,3, Saarland University (Anglistik, Amerikanistik und Anglophone Kulturen), course: Joseph Conrad, language: English, abstract: ‘The horror! The horror!’
‘Horrible, horrible!’ Although the novels are different in style and plot, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and The Secret Agent have one thing in common: They are full of different kinds of ‘horror’ and ‘madness’. But what are all these different kinds of horror? Why does Conrad use this word this often? Is the horror in the Heart of Darkness the same as in The Secret Agent? In this paper, I will try to analyse some of the horrible aspects Conrad mentions in his texts. The first chapter will have a closer look at Kurtz’s famous phrase ‘The horror! The horror!’ . I will give insight in some of my own interpretations of what could be meant with this horror. The second part of this paper will investigate the horrors and fears of the three main characters in The Secret Agent: Stevie, Winnie Verloc and Mr Verloc. In the end, there will be a short conclusion of the aspects of horror I have explored.