Heart of Darkness & Other Stories | Joseph Conrad | Wordsworth Classic | Book Introduction and Notes by Gene M. Moore, Universiteit van Amsterdam Heart of Darkness is a chilling tale of horror which, as the author intended, is capable of many interpretations. Set in the Congo during the period of rapid colonial expansion in the 19th century, the story deals with the highly disturbing effects of economic, social and political exploitation of European and African societies and the cataclysmic behavior this induced in some individuals.