Conrad: Nostromo

Landmarks of World Literature

by Ian Watt

Conrad's great novel is a rich study not only of a typical South American country, but of the politics of any underdeveloped country, and for this reason it is permanently topical. Ian Watt addresses Conrad's concerns when writing the work, and provides an accessible introduction, taking account of background, history and politics, and reception and influence.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, British Literature

Kindle Edition

First published October 5, 2015

About the author

Ian Watt was an English literary critic, literary historian and professor of English at Stanford University. His The Rise of the Novel: Studies in Defoe, Richardson and Fielding is an important work in the history of the genre.

Reviews

[Jefrois · Rating 2 out of 5]

Right off the bat, Conrad’s descriptions in the opening scene are confusing and I could not follow them. It was wasted on me.

He seemed incoherent.

I think people of his Era were maybe more attuned to such descriptions of landscape and Nature. I am not. No question about his being a Great Writer.

Uses the so-called, “‘N’ Word,” and should therefore obviously be erased, deleted, obliterated and otherwise removed from all literature and all characters for all time as too white, too privileged, and too…too everything.

I can NOT get into all this description; to me, it’s just overpowering, and overwhelms whatever story he is trying to tell here. To me, it signals he is just trying to fill pages the best way he knows.

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[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best novel about the tragic affects of greed that I have read, complete with hundreds of pages of beautiful description and a bizarre and well-woven story. Conrad's love of sailing and the character's de-evolution make this a fantastic read.

[The Docta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good writing, but not a great story. Such an abrupt 180 for all with loose ends just being dropped that how can you really stay attached.