A Conrad Argosy

by Joseph Conrad, William McFee (Introduction)

Introduction by William McFee
Youth
Heart of Darkness
The Nigger of the Narcissus
Il Conde
Gaspar Ruiz
The Brute
Typhoon
The Secret Sharer
Freya of the Seven Isles
The Secret Agent
The Duel
The End of the Tether
The Shadow-Line
A Personal Record
Bibliography

Genres: Fiction, Literature

713 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Joseph Conrad was a Polish-British novelist and story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in the English language and, although he did not speak English fluently until his twenties, he became a master prose stylist who brought a non-English sensibility into English literature. He wrote novels and stories, many in nautical settings, that depict crises of human individuality in the midst of what he saw as an indifferent, inscrutable, and amoral world.
Conrad is considered a literary impressionist by some and an early modernist by others, though his works also contain elements of 19th-century realism. His narrative style and anti-heroic characters, as in Lord Jim, for example, have influenced numerous authors. Many dramatic films have been adapted from and inspired by his works. Numerous writers and critics have commented that his fictional works, written largely in the first two decades of the 20th century, seem to have anticipated later world events.
Writing near the peak of the British Empire, Conrad drew on the national experiences of his native Poland—during nearly all his life, parceled out among three occupying empires—and on his own experiences in the French and British merchant navies, to create short stories and novels that reflect aspects of a European-dominated world—including imperialism and colonialism—and that profoundly explore the human psyche.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been my tradition to read Heart of Darkness once a year since I first had to read it in high school. I do this because I love the story and always find some new little facet of its telling to appreciate. I decided this year to read several of Conrad's other works now that I have the time on my hands to really indulge in reading. I picked up this copy of A Conrad Argosy for a few dollars at an English Department fund raising event about a year ago and haven't cracked it open yet.

Heart of Darkness is the second work included in the collection, so I figured I'll start with Youth and try to read straight through instead of skipping around to the ones that sound most appealing to me. I was please to encounter Marlow as a secondary narrator again in this tale. I've become quite fond of him through reading Heart of Darkness so many times and reading Chance once before.

I enjoyed Youth for the most part. The story held my interest, and of course I doubt the choice of words could have been better. Indeed, Marlow's account of the explosion was downright hilarious to me. The only criticism I really have is that the references to the frame of the narrative are introduced more frequently than necessary. Once or twice would have just as nicely gotten the job done, and if more were really felt to be crucial to the telling they could have simply been followed by "said the accountant" or "asked the lawyer" etc. I'm assuming it's Marlow who is asking "Pass the bottle." Having one of the other men at the table while it would depart from Conrad's typical use of the device, would add not only a little variety, but also a greater degree of authenticity to the whole set-up.

[Mark Singer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first collection Of Joseph Conrad, originally printed as a large hardback in 1942 with wood cuts by Hans Alexander Mueller. Includes my favorite Conrad story, the novella "Heart of Darkness". Also included are Youth, Typhoon, The Secret Agent, Duel and more.

[Eddy Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only a great collection of stories, including what might be my favorite, Typhoon, but also a nice physical object, with its oversize format and handsome woodcut illustrations that makes reading the stories even more special.

[E Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A large collection of Conrad's writings. His years working on sailing and steam vessels lends a realistic and accurate picture of life on the sea. He obviously loved the sea and the sailer's lifestyle.
H.L.Mencken said he was the greatest artist who wrote a novel. He painted a picture of the tone and atmosphere of his stories settings with his words. His sea captains all seemed to be no nonsense men who's word was law. So many of them seemed to have wives and daughters either left at home or sometimes living with them onboard. No sons? Every crew had it's bad apple. His descriptions of storms and other catastrophes at sea were so realistic they gave me anxiety. Sometimes I didn't understand the nautical terminology he used.
YOUTH--A young man's first voyage to the Far East with a load of coal that goes wrong.
HEART OF DARKNESS-A man goes upstream a river in Africa to relieve the man in charge of a remote station. The atmosphere of this story is eerie and yes, very dark.
THE NIGGER OF THE NARCISSUS-I may have missed the point of this story. James Wait seemed like a minor character and I didn't understand why he became the crew's "pet". The description of the horrendous storm was so realistic and scary I couldn't wait to get through those pages.
IL CONDE The narrator meets a Count while both are visiting Naples. The Count has an unfortunate encounter and abandons the city.
GASPAR RUIZ A Peruvian citizen gets caught in the battle between the Spanish and the rebels. He
is greatly influenced by a young lady with strong allegiance to the Spanish side.
THE BRUTE A ship is bad luck to someone on every trip she takes until she is finally wrecked.
TYPHOON A ship full of Chinese passengers heading back home gets hit by a terrific typhoon. I
especially liked Captain Macwhirr. He stubbornly kept to his planned course and in the end proved what a remarkable man he was.
THE SECRET SHARER An odd story of the captain of a ship docked in an Asian port when a man faced with a murder charge swims to his ship and he brings him onboard. Somehow he feels as if he and this man have something in common and so he hides him until he leaves port.
FREYA OF THE SEVEN ISLES A sad tale of two men who love one woman and how one tries to take an unfair advantage.
THE SECRET AGENT A different venue for Conrad. A secret agent, we're never privy to what country he works for, is stationed in London. He agrees to carry out a reckless ploy that ends badly and sends his wife into a life of wrath and revenge.
THE DUEL Supposedly based on a true story, two Napoleonic soldiers have a small disagreement that ends up entwining them for the rest of their lives.
THE END OF THE TETHER Captain Walley is at the end of his career when he is hit with financial ruin. His daughter is in dire straights for money so he signs on with a unscrupulous ship owner.
THE SHADOW LINE The shadow line is the imaginary point where youth converts to maturity. A young man signs off from one ship, but then is offered the captain's job on another. His new assignment is plagued with bad luck and according to one of the men, the last captains curse.
A PERSONAL RECORD Conrad touches on how he began to write his first novel, Almayer's Folly,
while still working on ships. He describes his encounter with the man who inspired the story. He
writes about his great uncle who fought for Napoleon and was part of the retreat from Russia.
This relatives home was ransacked by a squadron of Cossacks and then the local peasants.
He writes about a trip through Europe he took with his tutor and how the tutor and his family tried to dissuade him from going to sea.
The book did not include Lord Jim or Mirror of the Sea or Almayer's Folly

[Kyle K]

Youth -

Heart of Darkness -

The Nigger of the the Narcissus -

Il Conde -

Gaspar Ruiz -

The Brute -

Typhoon -

The Secret Sharer -

Freya of the Seven Isles -

The Secret Agent -

The Duel -

The End of the Tether -

The Shadow-Line -

A Personal Record -

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

dj,

[Iniville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't read the whole thing. Heart of Darkness and The Secret Sharer.