Historical, sociological and philosophical elements of Heart of Darkness Awareness of the historical, sociological and philosophical climate prevalent during the period in which Heart of Darkness was written plays a key role in understanding the meaning of Conrad's complex work. Joseph Conrad began work on Heart of Darkness in 1898 and completed it the following year in 1899. During this time the Impressionist movement was in full swing, European colonization was at its peak, racial tensions were rising rapidly, and man compared with the fall of the traditional vision that considered man the eminent sovereign of the world. Each of these issues significantly influenced Joseph Conrad's writing of the novel, as well as its collective meaning for all humanity. A look at Conrad's writing style will allow us to deduce his possible intent in writing Heart of Darkness and therefore how the reader should approach it. Conrad's writing style centers on the literary sense of impressionism. Literary impressionism is characterized by the use of details and mental associations to evoke subjective and sensory impressions rather than for the recreation of objective reality ("impressionism"). Conrad is trying to communicate to readers in a way that transcends the written word. The intent here is not to abstract tidy ideas about the experience, rather they seek to recreate and communicate the rich complexities of the experience itself, with all its darkness, confusion, and ambiguity intact (Dintenfass). Some critics have argued that Conrad features so much detail and chaos in his works that it becomes too much for him to analyze. Conrad responded to this attack in a letter to the critic Richard Curle:......middle of paper......enfass, Mark. “Heart of Darkness: A Lawrence University Freshman Studies Class.” March 14, 1996. *http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~csicseri/dintenfass.htm* (February 2, 2000).Guerard, Albert J. Conrad the Novelist. Cambridge, MA.: Harvard U. Press, 1958.Hayes, Dorsha. “Heart of Darkness: An Aspect of the Shadow,” Spring (1956): 43-47..Hillman, James. “Notes on White Supremacy: An Essay on an Archetypal Account of Historical Events,” Spring (1986): 29-57. Jean-Aubry, George. Joseph Conrad: Life and Letters. vol. 1. New York: Page, 1966. McLynn, Frank. Hearts of Darkness: European Exploration of Africa. New York: Carol & Gey, 1992. Mellard, James. “Myth and Archetype in Heart of Darkness,” Tennessee Studies in Literature 13 (1968): 1-15. Yatzeck: Marlow's Lie - http://cwis.lawrence.edu/www 4. french in Africa - www.sas.upenn edu/ AF._Studi