Heart of darkness and the secret sharer: notes. Including Life of the author, Introductions to the novels, Lists of characters, Brief plot synposes, Summaries & critical commentaries, Critical essays, Suggested essay topics, Selected bibliography

Each of these stories deals with the dark side" of the human character. Heart of Darkness is a journey up a Congo river to where an ivory agent, Kurtz, mentally disintegrates into a grotesque creature. Secret Sharer is about a murderous captain who is tragically alienated from other people." "Heart Of Darkness." The story of the civilized, enlightened Mr. Kurtz who embarks on a harrowing "night journey" into the savage heart of Africa, only to find his dark and evil soul. "The Secret Sharer." The saga of a young, inexperienced skipper forced to decide the fate of a fugitive sailor who killed a man in self-defense. As he faces his first moral test the skipper discovers a terrifying truth -- and comes face to face with the secret itself. "Heart Of Darkness" and "The Secret Sharer" draw on actual events and people that Conrad met or heard about during his many far-flung travels. In portraying men whose incredible journeys on land and at sea are also symbolic voyages into their own mysterious depths, these two masterful works give credence to Conrad's acclaim as a major psychological writer.