Heart of Darkness is the finest of all Conrad's tales, showing him at the height of his powers as a writer of great vividness, intensity, and sophistication. The story has come to be regarded as classic of the twentieth century. Its ambiguity has made it the subject of numerous interpretations. The tale appraises the glamour, folly and rapacity of imperial adventure. It gives ironic insights into human nature and the bases of civilization. Sitting on board a ship anchored in the lower reaches of the River Thames, Marlow, an officer in the merchant navy, tells a group of his friends the story of his journey up the Congo River in Africa, in the employment of a Belgian trading company. This supposedly benevolent organization is in fact ruthlessly enslaving the Africans and depleting the area of ivory. At the company's Central Station he hears of the remarkable agent Mr. Kurtz who is stationed in the very heart of the ivory country. Marlow sets of on an arduous journey to the Inner Station up river where he expects to meet Mr. Kurtz...