Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness

[syrianrue]

Recently a friend recommended me to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
However, on amazon, there's so many editions of the book, some are original, while there's also one called: Heart of Darkness (Norton Critical Editions) -- which seems to be an edited version of the original copy... on amazon it says that the author restored some of the missing stuff from the book, and corrected some punctuations.

Anyway, i was wondering if anyone has read this edition of the book? I do like the fact that this edition contains many background information about that time period, as well as other information pertaining to the story... there are even reviews and essays included in the book to help you further understand the meaning behind then novel.

And if this version really was edited... how much of it have been edited? and how much does it differ from the original? I can't seem to make up my mind on whether i should purchase this copy or the original version

anyweay, hope to hear from some of you soon,.

cheers,
Rue

[morgy8755]

I haven't read the edited version but, if you have enough money, why not buy both versions? And if you don't like the edited one >.> you could always give it to someone else who is looking to read Heart of Darkness.

[brownnataly21]

I have read the lots of editions, but there is not much difference between them. The ideas of the book remain the same in fact.

[MrWright]

I'm not aware of the Norton edition but I've got the Oxford World Classics edition which includes Conrad's short stories 'An Outpost of Progress', 'Karain' and 'Youth', as well as an introduction by Cedric Watts, explanatory notes and chronology of Conrad's life. I brought it from Amazon several years ago but just checked and it's still available.

[Bonnie Wilde]

The title itself seems to tug at your heart strings. I was hooked by just these four words: The Heart of Darkness. The book itself is a journey to the depths of imperialism and power. The greed of nations shows its absurdity and hypocrisy in this amazing novel. Conrad completely flipped the table on symbolism and analogical language. Black and white do not represent what we think they do. And eventually, everything in this book goes grey. As the main character, Marlow, journeys through his job, this idea of how much power consumes us and takes away our choice becomes visible. This novel is a must read for those who look for mystery, thrill and politics in their books.