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My first encounter with Conrad, and the one that has recurred most frequently for me since then, was "Heart of Darkness". It serves as an example of what, in my view, appears to be the most recurring theme in his shorter fiction. The protagonist experiences an atypically "transformative" event through a chance meeting, trauma, or situation that shatters their moral certainty, previously cherished beliefs, and/or senseless sense of self-importance, often irrevocably. This generally leaves a cast of characters bewildered, as they still stand firmly on the shores of social mores, prejudices, and confidence that the now-changed character has just been unwillingly pushed away from.
I say atypically because more often than not, there is no catharsis and few lessons are learned. Generally, the character is left seemingly confused, with more questions than insights. Even if the protagonist has become the inheritor of some previously unrealized greater truth, it almost always serves to alienate them.
To be fair, that's a broad generalization. In stories like "Youth", "Il Conde", aspects of "Amy Foster", and perhaps "Typhoon", there are moments of notable exception. At the very least, it's fair to say that Conrad's characters tend to encounter the unknown, which often proves darker and more mysterious than they ever imagined. They are rattled, sometimes for the better, but more often than not, they seem merely haunted, with the events playing over and over in their minds perpetually.
With the exception of "The Lagoon" and, to a lesser extent, "Il Conde" (and perhaps "An Outpost of Progress" - only because its major themes are more fully realized in "Heart of Darkness"), every single selection here is fantastic. However, the crowning achievement of the collection for me is "The Secret Sharer". While its aims are markedly less ambitious than a story like "Heart of Darkness" or "The Nigger of the Narcissus", its confident clarity of prose and plot allows it to succeed where the former, as great as they are, can sometimes be blemished.
It should be noted well, however, that you will need a glossary of nautical terms to understand a great deal of the dramatic action taking place in some stories. Without a basic knowledge of nautical terminology, especially regarding the layout of ships, stories like "Typhoon" will be unintelligible.
I say atypically because more often than not, there is no catharsis and few lessons are learned. Generally, the character is left seemingly confused, with more questions than insights. Even if the protagonist has become the inheritor of some previously unrealized greater truth, it almost always serves to alienate them.
To be fair, that's a broad generalization. In stories like "Youth", "Il Conde", aspects of "Amy Foster", and perhaps "Typhoon", there are moments of notable exception. At the very least, it's fair to say that Conrad's characters tend to encounter the unknown, which often proves darker and more mysterious than they ever imagined. They are rattled, sometimes for the better, but more often than not, they seem merely haunted, with the events playing over and over in their minds perpetually.
With the exception of "The Lagoon" and, to a lesser extent, "Il Conde" (and perhaps "An Outpost of Progress" - only because its major themes are more fully realized in "Heart of Darkness"), every single selection here is fantastic. However, the crowning achievement of the collection for me is "The Secret Sharer". While its aims are markedly less ambitious than a story like "Heart of Darkness" or "The Nigger of the Narcissus", its confident clarity of prose and plot allows it to succeed where the former, as great as they are, can sometimes be blemished.
It should be noted well, however, that you will need a glossary of nautical terms to understand a great deal of the dramatic action taking place in some stories. Without a basic knowledge of nautical terminology, especially regarding the layout of ships, stories like "Typhoon" will be unintelligible.
