Joseph Conrad
Polish-British · Late 19th–early 20th century
Polish-British novelist and short story writer, author of Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim, known for exploring themes of colonialism, morality, and the darkness of human nature.
Connection to Taylor Swift
Uncle Jerry uses Conrad's Heart of Darkness as a literary parallel to illustrate the three Fates/weaving imagery that Taylor draws on in Cassandra.
Notable Works
- Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Nostromo
Appears in the Archive
Context within the Archive
Heart of Darkness
“I was in my tower weaving nightmares”
Uncle Jerry draws a parallel between the three Fates weaving the future and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, in which three secretaries type at their dark typewriters sending out orders, functioning as the three Fates weaving destiny. He also notes that Francis Ford Coppola replicates this scene in Apocalypse Now. This is offered as a literary parallel to the weaving/fates imagery rather than a direct allusion in the song itself.