Title - Heart of Darkness Author: Conrad, Joseph Publisher: Penguin Print Synopsis Authors Purpose Genre This is the thrilling tale of Marlow, a seaman and wanderer recounting his physical and psychological journey in search of the infamous ivory trader Kurtz. Traveling upriver into the heart of the African continent, he gradually becomes obsessed by this enigmatic, wraith-like figure. Persuade Historical Fiction RDQ (Reading Difficulty Quotient) Accelerated Reader Lexile Find at 4663 7+ 1160 Amazon RDQ based on a maximum of 3000 words Levels are suggested levels based on RDQ, not official levels Sentences Total Words Different Words Max Word/Sent 79 Total # of Words 3642 # of Different Words 1215 Ave Word/.Sent 20 Hi Freq occurs 2690 73.9% # of Hi freq words 439 36.1% % of Long Sentences 53.4 Low Freq occurs 426 11.7% # of Low freq words 367 30.2% Subjective Criteria Illustrations: No support Dialog: Multiple speakers Dialog: Broken dialogue Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker Vocabulary: Many difficult words Language: Colorful, figurative Sentences: Many Long Complex Text structure: Difficult Inferences: Several Implications Complexity: Several unrelated ideas Concepts: Abstract/Complex Social Prior Knowledge: Familiarity Sequence of Events: Several shifts in time Mature Concepts: With some uncommon experiences Features Character traits Character development Integral Setting - Historical Parallel plots Ambiguous ending Alternating voice Foreign words Topics Challenges Courage Conflicts *Life Styles *Habitats/Environments *Feelings, Behaviors Relationships Low Frequency Words abiding abomination accepted account accountant administration admirals adventurers afar affection affectionately aft aggravated ajar amongst anchor anxious apparently appointed appointment approach architecturally arid arising arose ascetic askew aspect asserting audience bargain benign borne boyhood brilliance brooding brute calamities calamity casual chap chaps charmed citizen civilize civilized climate colonists colour colours commissioned commonwealths companies complexion concern concertina condensed conquerors conquest conquests continental convictions culminating current curved curving cushion d'ye decent decline deepening departs departure deptford depths desperation destiny determined detestable deuce devotion diaphanous dignity disdainful disease dominoes doubt draping eastern ebb effect efficiency employers enclosures engineer enthusiastic enveloping episode erebus erect erith errant estuary european excepted exile existence exploration exquisite extraordinary fabric fairway falernian farthest fascinated fascination fated fellow fellow's fellows flanks flatness fleet flush foreign forthwith fortunes fresleven fresleven's gaped gatherer gauls gauzy generally generals gentlest gigantic glamour's glare glories glorious gloriously greenwich grunt halos hankering hastily haze hemispheres hesitating highness hind hindering host idol ignorance illumination immense immensity immutability imperceptible incomprehensible inconclusive influence initiation innumerable inscrutable interlopers interminable invading jewels joining joint jungles kernel knights knitting knowing lager lawyer lazily legged legionaries likeness loafing longing lotus luminous lurid marlow marlow's marsh marshes mast meditative mediterranean memories mercilessly merely messengers midst military mission mistress misunderstanding mizzen monstrous moonshine motionless mournful murder mysteries mysterious nation natives nautical navigation nigger noble notion offing ominously opportunity original ought ourselves outwards overland overtaking pacific palms panic particularly passion patiently paused peopled personage personally personified phrase pioneers pitiful placid ponderously population pose powerless preaching preceded precious predecessor prefect prejudice presently pretence profound progress promotion propensity pursuers pursuing quarrel radiant ravenna realize recover redeems relations represent resembled resembling respect reverence rigid robbery rotting rotund sacred sacrifice sailor sake satisfied savagery savages scuffle seaman seamen seaward sedentary sentimental separating separation sepulchre serenity service shone skipper skulking sleepless society sombre somnambulist soul spectral spree sprits sprouting staircase steamboat steamboats stricken stroll suffices sunken supernatural surrender surroundings survived swamp swept sword tempests tentative terror thames thunderstruck tidal toga tolerant torch toying trader tranquil trireme trustworthiness typical unaware unceasing uncoiled ungarnished unknown unruffled unselfish unstained untitled utter uttermost vanishing varnished veiled venerable venetian violence virtues visible vivid waterway weakness welded whited wooded worth wronged yacht yawl