'A Choice of Nightmares': Narration and desire in Heart of Darkness

This paper considers the gendered organisation of narration in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. It is argued that the text fictionalises its audience as an exclusively masculine community of readers, bounded together by shared interests and commitments. The discursive construction of preferred reading positions is critically examined with reference to the mobilisation of discourses of cannibalism and representations of femininity in the text. It is argued that positive evaluations of the text, as a critique of imperialism or a commentary on the human condition, are problematised by consideration of the gender values inscribed in the texture of the narrative.     

LUMINESCENCE DATING OF POTTERY FROM LATER PREHISTORIC BRITAIN*

Dating of later prehistoric settlements relies heavily on potter; typologies in England and yet there has been little scientific dating in order to verify these typologies. In this work, luminescence dating techniques were applied directly to the pottery which forms the typological framework. Excellent agreement was obtained between the luminescence ages, and archaeological age ranges for known‐age pottery sherds with diagnostic form and surface decoration. A lower correlation, however, was found in several regions between the luminescence ages for undecorated body sherds and the archaeological assessment which was necessarily based solely on fabric, suggesting the need for reassessment of these fabric chronologies.     

Environmental Damage: Pricing and Public Perception

An alternative technique is proposed for estimating the annual value of environmental damage in Australia. Such estimates are rarely made and an alternative approach is proposed to ‘hypothetical’, ‘willingness to pay’ studies. Such studies tend towards overestimation from respondents who are aware of the ‘hypothetical’ nature of the study and are hence ‘willing to pay’ more than they can realistically afford. In order to minimise this, the study has confined responses to the Federal budget, an amount that actually could be spent. Results also reveal the extent of awareness of environmental problems in Australia. Politically these results indicate the high priority areas for environmental action.     

A Taxonometric Analysis of Landform–Soil Particle Size Relationships in the Catchment of Linthorpe Creek,Darling Downs Southeast Queensland

Cluster analysis of randomly sampled soil materials on the basis of their detailed particle size properties shows that the materials form statistical clusterings–called here ‘textural groups’. Soil materials comprising the textural groups are also clustered spatially, and are hence mappable. Textural groups with geomorphic significance are recognizable at two hierarchical levels in the Q-mode cluster dendrograms, and indicate that the spatial variability of soil particle size can be envisaged as existing at two levels of scale. All textural groups demonstrate a consistent relationship to five landform types of crests, hillslopes, pediments, flood plain and infilled channels. At the higher hierarchical level, two major groups divide valley-side slopes at the pediment head into two topographically and genetically distinct zones–one of crests and hillslopes, and the other occupying pediments and flood plain system. At the lower hierarchical level, soil materials from crests, hillslopes and infilled channels form largely separate groups, while the pediment and flood plain deposits combine to form a further group. Boundaries between groups at both higher and lower hierarchical levels represent major and minor discontinuities respectively in the downslope variation in soil particle size properties.     

Impacts of River Regulation on the Terminal Lakes and Mouth of the River Murray,South Australia

The River Murray is a highly regulated, low gradient stream. Prior to barrage construction near the Murray Mouth saline water was present sporadically far upstream. Barrage completion by 1940 has had geo-morphic and ecological impacts. Estuarine Lakes Albert and Alexandrina became permanent freshwater bodies with elevated water levels. Exposed lake margins have eroded by up to 10 m yr', whereas along sheltered shorelines, sedimentation has accompanied reed growth. Upstream weirs have inhibited coarse sediment from reaching the lakes. In the Goolwa Channel, sedimentation changed from bioclas-tic sands to muds, accumulating at up to 4.5 mm yr' over the past 50 years. Regulation has also transformed a migrating flood tidal delta at the Murray Mouth into a permanently vegetated island.     

THEORY AND GOD IN GOTHAM

“Theory” is all the rage among religious studies scholars generally. But with the tiniest number of exceptions, this is not true in American religious history. American history in general has not proven receptive to theoretically oriented scholarship, and American religious history may epitomize this aversion; most histories of religion in America follow the classic forms of narrative history. yet the study of religion in modern urban America illustrates the desirability and perhaps even the inevitability of rethinking both religion and modernity. Without rethinking modernity, especially the assumption of its secularity, our histories cannot explain or even adequately describe the remarkable resilience of religion in so seemingly secular a place as Manhattan. And without rethinking religion we may not be able to comprehend its ability to thrive and to embrace uncertainty and spiritual pluralism alike.