Works Cited

Works Cited

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25 Aug. 2008<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/mandrakes/images/agrippa.jpg>.

25 Aug. 2008<http://www.schools.net.au/edu/lesson_ideas/dinosaurs/images/ichthyosaurus.gif.>

"alienist." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 27 Aug. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alienist>.

"Albertus Magnus." 25 Aug. 2008 <http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/m/magnus_albertus.html>.

"Archfiend." Answers.com. 2007. 25 Aug. 2008 <http://www.answers.com/topic/archfiend>.

"Book Information: Sorrows of Young Werther, The." Internet Book List. 2008. 27 Aug. 2008 <http://www.iblist.com/book13409.htm>.

Cockren, A. "Paracelsus." 25 Aug. 2008. <http://www.alchemylab.com/paracelsus.htm>

Coleridge, Samuel. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Electronic Text Center. 5 Oct. 1999. University of Virginia Library. 25 Aug. 2008 <http://etext.virginia.edu/stc/coleridge/poems/rime_ancient_mariner.html>.

"Cornelius Agrippa." 25 Aug. 2008 <http://www.katinkahesselink.net/his/agrippa.html>.

"The Divine Comedy." Answers.com. 2008. 25 Aug. 2008 <http://www.answers.com/divine%20comedy>.

"Exodus 5:7." Bible.com. 2008. 25 Aug. 2008 <http://bible.cc/exodus/5-7.htm>.

"The Fate of Franklin." 1 Aug. 2008. 27 Aug. 2008 <http://www.ric.edu/faculty/rpotter/sjfranklin.html>.

Garcia-Vidal, Nancy. "Laudanum." 5 Nov. 1998. 27 Aug. 2008 <http://www.nycgoth.com/more/laudanum/>.

"Gravesend." Classic Encyclopedia. 6 Oct. 2006. 25 Aug. 2008 <http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/gravesend>.

"harlequin." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 27 Aug. 2008. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/harlequin>.

Hickman, Kennedy. "Charlemagne: Battle of Roncevaux Pass." About.com. 2008. The New York Times Company. 23 Aug. 2008 <http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswarsto1000/p/roncevaux.htm>

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"Ichthyosaurus." 27 Aug. 2008 <http://www.mce.k12tn.net/dinosaurs/ichthyosaurus.htm>.

"Maladie Du Pays." 25 Aug. 2008 <http://www.english.upenn.edu/projects/knarf/v3notes/maladie.html>.

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Milton, John. "Paradise Lost (1667)." Renascence Editions. 1997. The University of Oregon. 27 Aug. 2008 . <http://www.uoregon.edu/%7erbear/lost/lost.html>.

"Morituri Te Salutant=Those who are about to die salute you." About.com. 2008. New York Times Company. 25 Aug. 2008 . <http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/games/qt/morituritesalut.htm>.

"Paradise Lost." Answers.com. 2008. 24 Aug. 2008. <http://www.answers.com/topic/paradise-lost>

"Paradise Lost." Wikipedia. 25 Aug. 2008. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_lost>

"Plutarch: Parallel Lives." Lycos Retriever. 2008. 27 Aug. 2008 . <http://www.lycos.com/info/plutarch--parallel-lives.html>.

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Seeler, Oliver. "The Voyage." Nova Albion Research. 1996. 22 Aug. 2008 . <http://www.mcn.org/2/oseeler/voy.htm>

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Wordsworth, William. "Tintern Abbey." Bartelby.com. 2008. 26 Aug. 2008 . <http://www.bartleby.com/145/ww138.html>.

My rage is unspeakable.

“My revenge is of no moment to you; yet, while I allow it to be a vice, I confess that it is the devouring and only passion of my soul. My rage is unspeakable.” (Shelley 130).

This passage draws a distinct and obvious connection between Victor Frankenstein and his monster. Both allow their revenge to “be a vice,” and both are filled with “unspeakable” rage at the actions of the other. They allow this fury to be their sole motivating factor, and think of nothing but revenge.

Laudanum

“I had been in the custom of taking every night a small quantity of laudanum; for it was by means of this drug only that I was enabled to gain the rest necessary for the preservation of life.” (Shelley 118).

Laudanum was an opiate that was popular during the Victorian era; it was highly addictive and a strong painkiller. (http://www.nycgoth.com/more/laudanum/) It would not have been uncommon for Frankenstein to take this drug during this time period.

Maladie du pays

“Sometimes, indeed, I felt a wish for happiness; and though, with melancholy delight, of my beloved cousin; or longed, with a devouring maladie du pays, to see once more the blue lake and rapid Rhone, that has been so dear to me in early childhood.” (Shelley 117).

Maladie du pays means, in French, homesickness. (http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/knarf/V3notes/maladie.html)
Victor here misses his childhood home and its beautiful countryside, his “cousin” Elizabeth, and his old, carefree way of life, before the monster was made.

“The scenery of external nature, which others regard only with admiration, he loved with ardour:--

‘The sounding cataract

Haunted him like a passion: the tall rock,

The mountain, and the deep and gloomy wood,

Their colours and their forms, were then to him

An appetite; a feeling, and a love,

That had no need of a remoter charm,

By thought supplied, or any interest

Unborrow’d from the eye.’” (Shelley 96).

These lines are taken from William Wordsworth’s poem “Tintern Abbey,” and are used to add description to the memory of Victor’s friend Henry Clerval and his love for nature. This section of the extensive poem on the beauty of Tintern Abbey itself and nature serves to describe adequately the way Clerval felt toward nature—that it was unequivocally beautiful. (http://www.bartleby.com/145/ww138.html)

This you alone can do.

“You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede.” (Shelley 87).

This is yet another comparison of Frankenstein to god. Supposedly, when god created Adam, he realized that man must have a companion, and in turn created Eve. In this story, since he was the creator of man, only he could create a companion, a woman. This passage says the same about Frankenstein; since he created this monster, only he could make it a mate.

Syndic

“My papa is a Syndic—he is M. Frankenstein—he will punish you.” (Shelley 86).

A syndic, in much of Europe, means a government official, perhaps a judge. (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/syndic) William saying that his father is a Syndic gives the Frankenstein family prestige, wealth, and trustworthiness, since the father is a justice of the peace. On the other hand, the monster, living his life in despair, poverty, and causing destruction, has none of these.

Like the arch-fiend.

“All, save I, were at rest or in enjoyment: I, like the arch-fiend, bore a hell within me; and, finding myself unsympathised with, wished to tear up the trees, spread havoc and destruction around me, and then to have sat down and enjoyed the ruin.” (Shelley 81).

The arch-fiend is often used as another word for the devil or Satan. (http://www.answers.com/topic/archfiend) Satan has a “hell within” him, as the monster does, and wants to see only death and destruction, to cause as much pain as is possible. The monster here admits to wanting this same thing; thus making him seem evil and wretched.

The path of my departure is free.

“‘The path of my departure was free;’ and there was none to lament my annihilation.” (Shelley 75).

This is yet another allusion to Mary Shelley’s husband, Percy Shelley, and his poem “Mutability.” When the monster says here “the path of my departure was free,” he means that nobody would care if he was lost completely to this world.

Paradise Lost, Plutarch's Lives, and Sorrows of Werter.

“Fortunately the books were written in the language, the elements of which I had acquired at the cottage; they consisted of ‘Paradise Lost,’ a volume of ‘Plutarch’s Lives,’ and the ‘Sorrows of Werter.’” (Shelley 74).

“Paradise Lost” is a poem in ten books written by John Milton in 1667. (http://www.uoregon.edu/~rbear/lost/lost.html) It concerns the birth of Adam and Eve as well as that of the fallen angel, Satan. The monster makes many references to this (see page 90) and how it is a strong parallel to his life, with him playing the role of either Adam, created by a god-like Frankenstein, or the fallen angel, wanting to wreak havoc. (http://www.answers.com/topic/paradise-lost)
“Plutarch’s Lives,” or “Parallel Lives,” by Plutarch, is a biography of many famous people throughout history, with emphasis on their characteristic virtues or faults. This book was of use to the monster in teaching him how empires were built and lost, and how the man lives. (http://www.lycos.com/info/plutarch--parallel-lives.html)

Lastly, the “Sorrows of Werter” is by Goethe, published in 1774. It contains themes of love and death, which are undeniably connected to the themes in Frankenstein and in the monster’s life. (http://www.iblist.com/book13409.htm)

Pandaemonium

“But I was enchanted by the appearance of the hut: here the snow and rain could not penetrate; the ground was dry; and it presented to me then as exquisite and divine a retreat as Pandaemonium appeared to the daemons of hell after their sufferings in the lake of fire.” (Shelley 58).

This reference to Pandaemonium and the daemons comes from “Paradise Lost” by John Milton. After these daemons, as the monster has said, have suffered in the “lake of fire,” they build Pandaemonium, the capital of hell, in an hour. It is a heavenly sanctuary to them after their sufferings, just as this hut is to the monster after having been alone in the wilderness for so long. (http://www.answers.com/topic/paradise-lost) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_Lost)

To Render him Happy

“For the first time, also, I felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness.” (Shelley 55).

This section is a contrast to all of the other “creator” passages—that is, the ones in which Frankenstein is shown as a creator, a maternal, god-like figure to the monster. In most of the others, the monster is attempting to convince Frankenstein to give him what he is owed, which is happiness and love, and Frankenstein is resisting. However, here, Frankenstein is agreeing that he must give the monster what he is owed, which is a mate.

Ought to be thy Adam.

“Remember, I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam; but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed.” (Shelley 53).

This is reference to Paradise Lost, which the monster mentions he has read on page 111. The fallen angel is Satan, who has no joy, excepting that in others’ despair and destruction. By saying “I ought to be thy Adam,” he means that Frankenstein should be taking care of him as God did for Adam. (http://www.answers.com/topic/paradise-lost)

Thy Creature

“I am thy creature, and I will be even mild and docile to my natural lord and king, if thou wilt also perform thy part, that which thou owest me.” (Shelley 53).

This passage draws the parallel and connection between Frankenstein and a god, or a creator of some sort; he is the monster’s “natural lord and king,” having created him and brought him to life. It is also a connection to the theme of mothers and caretakers, nature being stated many times in this novel as a prime example of these. Frankenstein, as any “mother” or creator must do, must perform his “part, that which thou owest me,” claims the monster.

Mutability

“Alas! Why does man boast of sensibilities superior to those apparent in the brute; it only renders them more necessary beings. If our impulses were confined to hunger, thirst, and desire, we might be nearly free; but now we are moved by every wind that blows, and a chance word or scene that that word may convey to us.

‘We rest; a dream has power to poison sleep.

We rise; one wand’ring thought pollutes the day.

We feel, conceive, or reason; laugh or weep.

Embrace found woe, or cast our cares away;

It is the same: for, be it joy or sorrow,

The path of its departure still is free.

Man’s yesterday may ne’er be like his morrow;

Nought may endure but mutability!’” (Shelley 51).

This passage is from the poem “Mutability” by Percy Shelley, husband of Mary Shelley. This passage, including the poem, bemoans how tied humans are to their emotions, as opposed to animals, and at how quickly these emotions can change; hence, “nought may endure but mutability.”

Maternal Nature

“The very winds whispered in soothing accents, and maternal nature bade me weep no more.” (Shelley 50).

Nature is again described as a greater force, here a maternal one. Nature has created all life, and is therefore its mother and caretaker, as Frankenstein should be to his monster.

Power might as Omnipotence.

“The immense mountains and precipices that overhung me on every side—the sound of the river raging among the rocks, and the dashing of the waterfalls around, spoke of a power mighty as Omnipotence—and I ceased to fear, or to bend before any being less almighty than that which had created and ruled the elements, here displayed in their most terrific guise.” (Shelley 49).

The narrator here is moved by the sublime elements in the spectacular sight he is viewing—that of Nature. Nature here is described as “omnipotent,” or all knowing—it is a force greater than Frankenstein, even though he did create life. This connection and theme is restated many times throughout the novel.

Brooding thoughts of vengeance.

“Come, Victor; not brooding thoughts of vengeance against the assassin, but with feelings of peace and gentleness, that will heal, instead of festering, the wounds of our minds.” (Shelley 33).

This is another example of foreshadowing in the novel; Frankenstein does exactly the opposite of this later in the story, during his climactic chase of his monster, where he seeks to avenge his loved ones who were lost by torturing and killing their murderer.

Ariosto's Angelica

“If you were in an ill-humour, one glance from Justine could dissipate it, for the same reason that Ariosto gives concerning the beauty of Angelica.” (Shelley 27).

Ludovico Ariosto was a popular Italian epic poet. His most famous poem is that of “Orlando Furioso,” or “the Frenzy of Orlando,” in which the protagonist, Orlando, falls hopelessly in love with a princess named Angelica. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlando_furioso) Angelica is described as very beautiful and benevolent, as is Justine in the novel Frankenstein.

Rime of the Ancient Mariner

“My heart palpitated in the sickness of fear; and I hurried on with irregular steps, not daring to look about me:--

Like one who, on a lonely road,

Doth walk in fear and dread,

And, having once turned round, walks on,

And turns no more his head;

Because he knows a frightful fiend

Doth close behind him tread." (Shelley 22).

In this part of the novel, Frankenstein is walking away from his home after the monster has come to life. The passage used here is from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. (http://etext.virginia.edu/stc/Coleridge/poems/Rime_Ancient_Mariner.html) This “frightful fiend” treading close behind Frankenstein is his monster, which he has just left in his apartment after seeing it awaken.

Dante

“I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived.” (Shelley 22).

Dante Alighieri was born in Florence in 1265. His most famous work was The Divine Comedy, in which the character travels through hell (inferno), purgatory, and heaven. His descriptions of hell were awful and horrendous. This passage is describing how hideously ugly the monster, once alive, was—to say that it “became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived” is to say that it is more ugly than hell, than anyone could imagine.

(http://www.greatdante.net/life.html)

Ignorance is Bliss

“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.” (Shelley 17-18).

This passage is foreshadowing all of the unfortunate events to happen to Frankenstein later in the story. He is saying here that ignorance is bliss; if he had not yearned for and striven to gain the knowledge to make his monster, none of the horrible things that happened would have.

Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus

“When I returned home, my first care was to procure the whole works of this author, and afterwards of Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus.” (Shelley 7).

Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus were both scientists who studied and did work similar to that of Cornelius Agrippa. Albertus Magnus, born in 1208 in Germany, was an alchemist and a chemist, and believed in the properties of natural elements in promoting psychic abilities. He was later canonized as Saint Albert the Great. (http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/m/magnus_albertus.html) Paracelsus, born in 1493, studied alchemy, surgery, and medicine. (http://www.alchemylab.com/paracelsus.htm)

Cornelius Agrippa

“I chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa.” (Shelley 7).

Cornelius Agrippa was a German mystic and alchemist, who lived from 1486-1535. He published a number of works, most of them incorporating such practices into his method of “science” as Kabbalah, alchemy, and astrology. He made attacks on more modern and practical forms of science in his work Of the Uncertainty and Vanity of the Sciences. (http://www.katinkahesselink.net/his/agrippa.html) In the novel, Victor Frankenstein worships Agrippa and his works, although he is encouraged to study more contemporary sciences—Agrippa’s works begin to get him interested in creating life, such as his monster.

(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/mandrakes/images/agrippa.jpg)

Enter into Masquerades

“He tried to make us act plays, and to enter into masquerades, in which the characters were drawn from the heroes of Roncesvalles, of the Round Table of King Arthur, and the chivalrous train who shed their blood to redeem the holy sepulchre from the hands of the infidels.” (Shelley 5).

All three of the sets of characters mentioned are soldiers, warriors. The “heroes of Roncesvalles” were knights who, in 778, defeated Charlemagne and halted his conquest. (http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswarsto1000/p/roncevaux.htm) The Knights of the Round Table were warriors and counselors for King Arthur in the medieval times. And lastly, the “chivalrous train” questing after the “holy sepulchre” were the brave men who fought to keep the tomb in which Jesus was laid before resurrection from the hands of infidels. All three sets of men were adventurers, brave warriors and soldiers fighting for a cause.

Mine to protect

“…looked upon Elizabeth as mine—mine to protect, love, and cherish.” (Shelley 4).

This is yet another comparison to Frankenstein’s relationship with his monster. Both Elizabeth and the monster in a way “belong” to him—however, one is beautiful, whereas one is hideous. One is a human being, whereas the other is a “wretched daemon.” One is worthy to be loved and cared for, while the other is not.

The being they gave life

“With this deep consciousness of what they owed towards the being to which they had given life, added to the active spirit of tenderness that animated both, it may be imagined that while during every hour of my infant life I received a lesson of patience, of charity, and of self-control, I was so guided by a silken cord, that all seemed but one train of enjoyment to me.” (Shelley 3).

This is the first of many mentions in Frankenstein of the connection and contrast between natural creation, that of mothers and fathers birthing a son or daughter, and Frankenstein artificially creating the monster. This passage states that Victor Frankenstein was treated with love and compassion by his parents, since he was “the being to which they had given life,” much as Frankenstein’s monster is to him—the monster, however, is not shown the same compassion.

Frankenstein

Here are my concordances for Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.

Heart of an Immense Darkness

“The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness.” (Conrad 118).

This section, at the end of the story, is comparing the primary narrator’s trip down the Thames to Marlow’s down the Congo—both leading out of Europe into mystery and darkness and causing despair and shedding no light.

Buddha

“Marlow ceased, and sat apart, indistinct and silent, in the pose of a meditating Buddha.” (Conrad 118).
This statement, at the end of the story, shows Marlow’s supreme knowledge and almost omniscient quality in comparing him with Buddha, a religious figure who became enlightened after many travels and journeys, much like Marlow’s. Marlow, after his long and trying voyage, now has knowledge and insight into many things that others don’t, such as Kurtz’s disposition and actions, and the cruel ways of mankind.

(http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/buddhasresume.html)

(http://www3.baylor.edu/~Charles_Kemp/buddha.jpg)

"The horror! The horror!"

“The horror! The horror!” (Conrad 105).

This exclamation, Kurtz’s last, has many different connotations. One is his despair what he has done during his career in Africa, at the destruction he has wrought. Another could be his despair at mankind and its misery, as ‘no eloquence could have been so withering to one’s belief in mankind as his final burst of sincerity.’ (Conrad 101). At the end of his life, Marlow finally sees all of this destruction, as his stare ‘penetrated all the hearts that beat in the darkness.’ (Conrad 106).

Out of the Heart of Darkness

“The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness, bearing us down towards the sea with twice the speed of our upward progress; and Kurtz’s life was running swiftly, too, ebbing, ebbing out of his heart into the sea of inexorable time.” (Conrad 103).

This passage shows an obvious parallel between the “heart of darkness,” meaning the mysterious Congo river down which the crew is blindly floating, and Kurtz, being also dark and mysterious.

Hollow at the core.

“It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core…” (Conrad 87).

This is yet another mention of the cast of Europeans venturing into Africa being hollow and empty. European cities such as Brussels are depicted as being “whited sepulchers” and Europeans, such as the brickmaker and Kurtz are shown as hollow and deceptive, as a “papier-mâché Mephistopheles.” This expresses Marlow’s dislike of the mission and trips into Africa and their hollow purposes.

Harlequin

“He looked like a harlequin.” (Conrad 78).

A harlequin in Italian theater was a comical servant, dressed in brightly colored clothes, often with patches. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/harlequin) The man being described is the devoted lover of Kurtz, who speaks nothing but praise of Kurtz to Marlow when they meet. This is an added allusion to him being a slave to Kurtz.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/93/Cezanne_Harlequin.JPG/389px-Cezanne_Harlequin.JPG)

All Europe

“His mother was half-English, his father was half-French. All Europe contributed to the making of Kurtz.” (Conrad 73).

Since Marlow has given much previous evidence as to his dislike of Kurtz, and how horrified he is by him, this passage proves to be another criticism of Europe and its customs, since it has made Kurtz and therefore made destruction and, in the eyes of Marlow, “darkness.”

Hair goes on growing

“They say the hair goes on growing sometimes, but this—ah—specimen, was impressively bald.” (Conrad 71).

Marlow is here comparing Kurtz to a corpse. He means that the hair goes on growing after a person has died in this sentence. This shows a connection between Kurtz and death, darkness, and destruction.

Hyenas

“I would just as soon have expected restraint from a hyena prowling amongst the corpses of a battlefield.” (Conrad 61).

The hyena, like the vulture, is a scavenger—it eats already dead meat, called carrion. (http://www.thewebsiteofeverything.com/weblog/pivot/entry.php?id=536) This passage is comparing the restraint of the cannibalistic natives, which amazes Marlow, to a hyena walking through the “corpses of a battlefield.”

(http://www.ditext.com/ardrey/hyena.jpg)

Brass Wire

“Besides that, they had given them every week three pieces of brass wire, each about nine inches long; and the theory was they were to buy their provisions with that currency in river-side villages.” (Conrad 60). Brass wire strips, called mitako, were sometimes used in part of the Congo for a type of currency; however, in this scene described by Marlow, this currency is not useful to the natives in the part of Africa depicted. This is yet another example of the Europeans being ignorant and ineffective.

(http://books.google.com/books?id=TykUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA296&lpg=PA296&dq=brass+wire+currency+congo&source=web&ots=HUE5uTcw1l&sig=iC70W7JqQHbKgDgCVdbAhgY3SCQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result)

Black Frenzy

"The steamer toiled along slowly on the edge of a black and incomprehensible frenzy. The prehistoric man was cursing us, praying to us, welcoming us—who could tell?” (Conrad 52).

The crew has little if any knowledge of the wilderness in this part of Africa, and are plunging blindly into it. The shore is “black and incomprehensible” as the crew travels along, unable to see what is going on. The description of the native man adds to the paradoxical nature of the natives, indeed, of most characters and concepts in the story; they seem at times friendly, wholesome, worthy, and at others hollow, shallow, and deceitful.

Ichthyosaurus

“A deadened burst of mighty splashes and snorts reached us from afar, as though an ichthyosaurus had been taking a bath of glitter in the great river.” (Conrad 42).

The ichthyosaurus is a dinosaur, now obviously extinct. (http://www.mce.k12tn.net/dinosaurs/ichthyosaurus.htm) This passage shows the strangeness and mystery of the country in which Marlow is residing, making it seem dark, ancient, primordial.

(http://www.schools.net.au/edu/lesson_ideas/dinosaurs/images/ichthyosaurus.gif)

Taint of Death

“There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies—which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world—what I want to forget.” (Conrad 38).

Marlow here is saying how much he hates lies and deception. Many Europeans in this book are described as hollow and false, such as the brickmaker and Kurtz, and European cities described as whited sepulchers. Here this insincere and fake quality seems to extend to all mankind, not just Europeans, and is something Marlow hates about humans in general.

Mephistopheles

“I let him run on, this papier-mâché Mephistopheles…” (Conrad 37).

The name Mephistopheles (also sometimes Mephistophilus or Mephisto) is a name used for the Devil, or Satan. (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/375514/Mephistopheles)
The fact that he is described as “papier-mâché” means that he is insubstantial and deceptive, seeming more real than he is. This is one of many allusions to Europe and Europeans being fake and hollow.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Keppler-Conkling-Mephistopheles.jpg)

Liberty and Justice

“Then I noticed a small sketch in oils, on a panel, representing a woman, draped and blindfolded, carrying a lighted torch. The background was somber—almost black. The movement of the woman was stately, and the effect of the torch-light on her face was sinister.” (Conrad 35).

The painting by Kurtz that is being described in this passage represents many different things. The painting is most literally depicting justice and liberty. The goddess Astraea, goddess of justice, is many times depicted blindfolded. (http://www.commonlaw.com/Justice.html) Also, the image of Liberty is often shown as carrying a lighted torch. This painting also has an ironic side, however. The fact that the background is almost black and that the figure is blindfolded is a metaphor for the fact that these Europeans have been venturing into the “dark” heart of Africa blindly, with no knowledge or light. The torch-light on her face being “sinister” is symbolism for this European mission being destructive—the “light” they are shedding on this “dark” place is actually harmful and evil.

(http://www.ktwallerlawfirm.com/Images/ImageStatueLibertyTorch.JPG)

Bricks from Straw

“It seems he could not make bricks without something, I don’t know what—straw maybe.” (Conrad 33).

In Exodus 5:7, Pharaoh says, “Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves.” (http://bible.cc/exodus/5-7.htm) The situation of the European brickmaker is a contrast and comparison to the slaves that the Pharaoh was commanding in Exodus. These slaves accomplished a great amount, also in the heart of Africa, as the brickmaker is; they built the pyramids and many buildings in Egypt. However, this brickmaker is just waiting for supplies which appear not to be coming, such as straw, and therefore is not accomplishing anything; he is not building any cities or even buildings. This emphasizes the ineffectiveness of the European mission into Africa.

Like Evil or Truth

“And outside, the silent wilderness surrounding this cleared speck on the earth struck me as something great and invincible, like evil or truth, waiting patiently for the passing away of this fantastic invasion.” (Conrad 32).

In this passage, Marlow is expressing wonder at the sublime, in the greatness of nature. He describes it as something bigger, more omnipotent, than the people passing through it, “like evil or truth.”

Inferno

“My purpose was to stroll into the shade for a moment; but no sooner within than it seemed to me I had stepped into the gloomy circle of some Inferno.” (Conrad 22).

Marlow is describing here the jungle and the European outposts along it as a kind of hell, by use of the word “Inferno." In the early 12th century, Dante Alighieri wrote an epic poem entitled the "Divine Comedy," in which his description of hell, or the "inferno" was dreadful and horrific. (http://www.answers.com/divine%20comedy)

Alienist

“‘Are you an alienist?’ I interrupted.” (Conrad 14).

Marlow asks the doctor who is examining him if he is an alienist, meaning a doctor specializing in the treatment of mental illness. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/alienist)
The doctor had been discussing an experiment examining the mental change that takes place in the Congo.

Ave! Morituri te Salutant

“Ave! Old knitter of black wool. Morituri te salutant.’” (Conrad 13).

During the reign of Claudius, in ancient Roman times, prisoners took part in a mock naval battle, called “naumachia.” These prisoners said to Claudius before the battle, “Ave imperator, morituri te salutant,” meaning, “Hail emperor, those about to die salute you.” (http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/games/qt/morituritesalut.htm)

This phrase is now used histrionically when beginning anything risky. Marlow is discussing a woman who is sitting outside of the office where Marlow was about to begin his occupation as a steamboat driver on the Congo. He says of this woman, “Not many of those she looked at ever saw her again—not half, by a long way.”

Whited Sepulchre

“‘In a very few hours I arrived in a city that always makes me think of a whited sepulcher.’” (Conrad 11).

The term “whited sepulchre” is from the Bible, where Jesus says “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.” (http://bible.cc/matthew/23-27.htm)

It has come to mean anything deceptive, something seeming to be wonderful when it is actually treacherous. The city Conrad is describing in this passage is Brussels, in yet another allusion to Europe being evil.

Very old times

“I was thinking of very old times, when the Romans first came here, nineteen hundred years ago—the other day…Light came out of this river since.” (Conrad 5).

This is one of Marlow’s first statements displaying his opinion that colonization and imperialism are evil, and associating them with evil. The Romans came to England, conquering it and its people, in 43 AD. By saying that the “light came out” of the river since then, he means that the river used to be beautiful and pure, but is now used only for conquering and colonizing.
(http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/RomanEngland.htm)

Spark from the Sacred Fire

“Hunters for gold or pursuers of fame, they all had gone out on that stream, bearing the sword, and often the torch, messengers of the might within the land, bearers of a spark from the sacred fire.” (Conrad 3).

These voyagers who traveled outwards on the river Thames had many different purposes in mind, but an especially important one was imperialism. The “torch” that these people are carrying could either be a symbol for the torch that Liberty often carries, meaning that these people are being fair and perhaps even liberating and shining light on the countries they are visiting. However, this torch could also be used for a different purpose, that of starting a conflagration. They are passing on the “might within the land,” meaning spread England and Europe’s conquest and empires, and are “bearers of a spark from the sacred fire,” setting this countries alight with the destructive flames from their torches.

Knights all

“It had known and served all the men of whom the nation is proud, from Sir Francis Drake to Sir John Franklin, knights all.” (Conrad 3).

This section, spoken by the primary narrator of the story, shows a different perspective on imperialism from Marlow’s. Whereas Marlow continually calls European expansion and colonization “dark,” this narrator praises Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Franklin, both of whom were British commanders and explorers, and attempted to conquer various native cultures and expand Britain’s empire.

(http://www.ric.edu/faculty/rpotter/sjfranklin.html)

(http://www.mcn.org/2/oseeler/voy.htm)

Bones

“The Accountant had brought out already a box of dominoes, and was toying architecturally with the bones.” (Conrad 1).

These dominoes would have been crafted of ivory, and were often called “bones” during this time period. This begins to make allusions and draw parallels between ivory and death and destruction.

Mournful Gloom

“Farther back still seemed condensed into a mournful gloom, brooding motionless over the biggest, and the greatest, town on earth.” (Conrad 1).

This quote, taken from the beginning of the story, as the crew is on the river Thames, is a reference to London and its greatness in the primary narrator’s eyes. This is a parallel reference, hence the “mournful gloom,” to how Marlow views European cities; dark and deceitful.

Gravesend

“The air was dark above Gravesend.” (Conrad 1).

Gravesend is a town in England, on the south bank of the Thames. It was an important port on the river, and was involved in many European communications and trips down the river and out of England. (http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Gravesend) In this sentence, the primary narrator deems it “dark,” beginning to set up the theme of darkness associated with European trade and colonization.

Heart of Darkness

These are my concordances for the story Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad.
The concordances for Frankenstein will begin in this blog when the concordances for Heart of Darkness have ended.