Scan barcode
scorcheded's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
zoe243's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
paul_cornelius's review against another edition
5.0
Three tales, novellas, actually, that capture the breadth of Conrad's work. Two of them, "A Smile of Fortune" and "Freya of the Seven Isles," demonstrate his tendency to depict cautionary revelations about the power of self deception leading to tragedy. This is a recurring theme of Conrad's. And in exotic locations in Indochina and on the China Sea, it is particularly effective, here. That is because the exoticism is as much a barrier, a prison, as it is a psychological backdrop. Westerners are entrapped in places they do not really belong. And the entrapment only serves to push them closer and closer together, until their feelings and frustrations are fused and ignited.
It is the third tale, "The Secret Sharer," however, that usually generates the most commentary. As it has come to be regarded as high "literature," it has also found its way into numerous other editions of Conrad's writing as well as general anthologies. You can just see the high school English teachers salivating over its overt symbolism (catch that scorpion, there, did you?) and its not too subtle psychological revelations. Without a doubt, it's all intended. The Jungian individuation seems to have come out of a textbook, for example. And I suppose that is what is a tiny bit of a problem for me. God knows how many undergraduate term papers and MA level theses "The Secret Sharer" has generated. All of them sucking the lifeblood out of the work each and every page of the way. Even more so than the dreary Edward Said type moaning about post-colonial readings. These sorts of commentaries absolutely kill many potential readers' interest in an author. Nothing is worse than some pontificating ass droning on about "meaning" and "context." Ignore them. Read the stories for the sake of the stories themselves. And don't feel guilty about not knowing whatever that scorpion is supposed to mean.
It is the third tale, "The Secret Sharer," however, that usually generates the most commentary. As it has come to be regarded as high "literature," it has also found its way into numerous other editions of Conrad's writing as well as general anthologies. You can just see the high school English teachers salivating over its overt symbolism (catch that scorpion, there, did you?) and its not too subtle psychological revelations. Without a doubt, it's all intended. The Jungian individuation seems to have come out of a textbook, for example. And I suppose that is what is a tiny bit of a problem for me. God knows how many undergraduate term papers and MA level theses "The Secret Sharer" has generated. All of them sucking the lifeblood out of the work each and every page of the way. Even more so than the dreary Edward Said type moaning about post-colonial readings. These sorts of commentaries absolutely kill many potential readers' interest in an author. Nothing is worse than some pontificating ass droning on about "meaning" and "context." Ignore them. Read the stories for the sake of the stories themselves. And don't feel guilty about not knowing whatever that scorpion is supposed to mean.
paulataua's review against another edition
4.0
Three Conrad novellas, two of which, ‘A Smile of Fortune’ and ‘Freya of the Seven Seas’ consider the consequences of self deception, and the third being the ‘The Secret Sharer’, which is definitely one of my favorite short stories of all time. It was great to get back to Conrad and his world where a calm sea is not just a calm sea, and where when someone looks like you, it is not just a case of physical resemblance. It was so good to read this again.
More...