Oxford World’s Classics: Heart of Darkness and Other Tales

Description

The finest of all Conrad’s tales, ‘Heart of Darkness’ is set in an atmosphere of mystery and menace, and tells of Marlow’s perilous journey up the Congo River to relieve his employer’s agent, the renowned and formidable Mr Kurtz. What he sees on his journey, and his eventual encounter with Kurtz, horrify and perplex him, and call into question the very bases of civilization and human nature. Endlessly reinterpreted by critics and adapted for film, radio, and television, the story shows Conrad at his most intense and sophisticated.

The other three tales in this volume depict corruption and obsession, and question racial assumptions. Set in the exotic surroundings of Africa, Malaysia. and the east, they variously appraise the glamour, folly, and rapacity of imperial adventure. This revised edition uses the English first edition texts and has a new chronology and bibliography.

The Oxford World’s Classics series makes available the greatest works of world literature. Each volume presents a superb text, an introduction by a leading scholar, a chronology of the author’s life, a select bibliography, and full explanatory notes.

Table of Contents

1. General Editor’s Preface
2. Acknowledgements
3. Introduction
4. Note on the Text
5. Select Bibliography
6. A Chronology of Joseph Conrad
7. Map: The River Congo
8. An outpost of progress
9. Karain: A memory
10. Youth: A narrative
11. Heart of darkness
12. Extract from the ‘Author’s Note’ (1917)
13. Explanatory Notes
14. Glossary

About the Series

For over 100 years, Oxford World’s Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford’s commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, maps, illustrations and much more. A continuous program of new titles and revised editions ensures that the series retains its breadth and reflects the latest scholarship. Comprehensive introductions, clear explanatory notes, chronologies, and bibliographies support the classic texts.

Currently providing access to novels, and other writings, from the 18th, 19th and 20th century, you can support your research using the comprehensive introductions, clear explanatory notes, chronologies, and bibliographies available in every book.

Editor Biography

Cedric Watts is an authority on Conrad and the author of numerous books and articles on Conrad including Joseph Conrad: A Literary Life (1989), A Preface to Conrad (2nd edn 1993), and Joseph Conrad (1994). For OWC he has edited Typhoon and Other Tales and other Conrad books for other publishers, most recently Lord Jim for Broadview Press.