Wrestling with death : adapting Conrad into videogame

Abstract

This dissertation investigates how Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness is recreated, through adaptation, in the videogames Spec Ops: The Line (2012) and Far Cry 2 (2008). How these games, as representative of a more modern medium, strive to emulate and reinterpret the novel’s text/reader relationship is given particular attention. This is achieved through the three main chapters of the dissertation, which discuss, respectively: the similarities and differences between Conrad’s and the games’ narrative techniques, how the games tackle Conrad’s central theme of darkness, and the games’ treatment of Conrad’s political concerns. Throughout the dissertation, my arguments build towards a conclusion that the two videogames engage with Heart of Darkness in fascinating ways and can be considered as worthy adaptations of Conrad’s novel. The dissertation is much characterised by the fact that, to my knowledge, there exists little published research on videogames adapting literature, let alone on Spec Ops and Far Cry 2 adapting Conrad, both by literature and videogame academia. This is a hindrance as much of what is written covers new, uncertain ground, but also an advantage since potential for further exciting research is provided.