As a long-time fan of Chinua Achebe, I was disappointed with his take on Heart of Darkness. I will never forget the first time I read Things Fall Apart. I couldn't let it go. I read it again. And again. It is one of those few novels that changed me, altered my perspective on issues dear to my heart, and modified my behavior towards others. Yet, Achebe fails to recognize in Conrad's novel the opinions and agendas that are so similar to his own in TFA. I agree with Watts that the authors are indeed on the same side of the issue, both fighting racism and oppression in their individual time periods.
Not that I believe a text should be judged based on the historical context alone, but if we are going to make moral judgements about the author of a text, then it is imperative that we consider the culture that existed during that specific time period. Indeed Conrad uses descriptions that I dare not even replicate. That was part of his creative strategy - to present people as other Europeans viewed them and then to take a stand against such ideologies. Using terminology just because it was common-place during his day doesn't necessarily justify the act, but it does provide a reasoning for the usage. Dare I say, he was a progressive thinker and writer, challenging views that were shaping his modern world.
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