{"product_id":"9781593083052","title":"The Secret Agent (Barnes \u0026 Noble Classics Series)","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cfont face=\"Times New Roman\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Secret Agent\u003c\/i\u003e, by \u003cb\u003eJoseph Conrad\u003c\/b\u003e, is part of the \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBiographies of the authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFootnotes and endnotes \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComments by other famous authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStudy questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBibliographies for further reading \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndices \u0026amp; Glossaries, when appropriate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003eAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics \u003c\/i\u003epulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.\u003cp\u003eSet in early twentieth-century London and inspired by an actual attempt to blow up the Greenwich Observatory, \u003ci\u003eThe Secret Agent\u003c\/i\u003e is a complex exploration of motivation and morality. The title character, Adolf Verloc, is obviously no James Bond. In fact, he and his circle of misfit saboteurs are not spies but terrorists, driven less by political ideals than by their unruly emotions and irrational hatreds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVerloc has settled into an apparent marriage of convenience. Family life gives him a respectable cover, while his wife hopes to get help in handling her halfwit brother, Stevie. Instead Verloc involves Stevie in one of his explosive schemes, an act that leads to violence, murder, and revenge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDarkly comic, the novel is also obliquely autobiographical: \u003cstrong\u003eJoseph Conrad\u003c\/strong\u003e’s parents were involved in the radical politics of their time, and their early deaths left him profoundly distrustful of any sort of political action.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSteven Marcus\u003c\/b\u003e is Professor of English and Comparative Literature and George Delacorte Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University, and a specialist in nineteenth-century literature and culture. He is the author of more than 200 publications.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47049169273072,"sku":"9781593083052","price":8.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781593083052_p0.jpg?v=1763812669","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781593083052","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}