Joseph Conrad
The Major Phase

Jacques Berthoud analyses the clarity, consistency, and depth of thought in the novels of Joseph Conrad.

Jacques Berthoud (Author)

9780521292733, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 23 February 1978

200 pages
21.4 x 13.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.273 kg

Although the importance of Conrad's work has long been recognized, Jacques Berthoud attempts a full demonstration of the clarity, consistency, and depth of thought evident in the novels written during the first decade of this century. Instead of the standard versions of Conrad - from sceptical moralizer to 'metaphysician of darkness' - he offers a tragic novelist, engaged in a sustained exploration of the contradictions inherent in man's relations with his fellows; and from the perspective thus achieved, he is able to show why Conrad occupies a leading place among the creators of modern literature. This book will be of interest to specialists in English studies because it seeks to make a substantial contribution to the critical debate on the significance of Conrad's work. It will also appeal to any reader looking for guidance through the complexities of the major novels: the central issues have been presented as simply as the originality of Conrad's art and thought permits.

Acknowledgements
1. A personal record
2. The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'
3. 'Heart of Darkness'
4. Lord Jim
5. Nostromo
6. The Secret Agent
7. Under Western Eyes
8. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers [DSK]