{"product_id":"2940011937194","title":"Heart of Darkness","description":"The story reflects the physical and psychological shock Conrad himself experienced in 1890, when he worked briefly in the Belgian Congo. The narrator, Marlow, describes a journey he took on an African river. Assigned by an ivory company to take command of a cargo boat stranded in the interior, Marlow makes his way through the treacherous forest, witnessing the brutalization of the natives by white traders and hearing tantalizing stories of a Mr. Kurtz, the company's most successful representative. He reaches Kurtz's compound in a remote outpost only to see a row of human heads mounted on poles. In this alien context, unbound by the strictures of his own culture, Kurtz has exchanged his soul for a bloody sovereignty, but a mortal illness is bringing his reign of terror to a close. As Marlow transports him downriver, Kurtz delivers an arrogant and empty explanation of his deeds as a visionary quest. To the narrator Kurtz's dying words, \"The horror! The horror!\" represent despair at the encounter with human depravity--the heart of darkness.    This edition contains extensive overviews of both the author and the novel.","brand":"eBookEden.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47147344789744,"sku":"2940011937194","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940011937194_p0.jpg?v=1763551392","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940011937194","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}