Much has been said on the subject of colonial racism, and this still leaves a bitter tang in the throats of most historicially learned people. Still, we don't need this book. Conrad's Heart of Darkness is placed in the context of his time, and even when skimming the novell, one get the image that it is an attack on the imperialism of that time. Firchow goes after the wrong novell.

An impressive and delightful read and an awesome work by a world-class scholar-author and educator. It is as comprehensive and thorough a critical work as we are likely to find anywhere, on any work of fiction, whether or not canonical. I'm a reader who feasts on literary and scholary criticism. Showing quite a bit of his lively mind and personality at work, Firchow's study of Heart of Darkness is a humbling and joyous reading experience.

Heart of Darkness has become a politically controversial book bringing the issue of racism into the foreground. Firchow counters the accusations of racism that have been made and defends his opinion of Conrad's book with solid arguments.