Joseph Conrad
Though I've studied much history that forms the context for Joseph Conrad's work, I have never until now actually read it. I was pleased to discover that Lord Jim is fundamentally about a sailor, as I've always enjoyed stories of the bounding main, but what I found is that this narrative is fundamentally a character study despite hints here and there of high adventure. Instead of being particularly plot-heavy, Lord Jim focuses on the plight of Jim as he flees a defining act of cowardice and seeks a new start, mirroring perhaps the fundamental goal of many under the age of imperialism and the promotion of travel to distant lands. This novel contains at its heart a story of rebirth and asks about the possibility of reclaiming lost honor without offering a forced conclusion. Initially inaccessible, the book offers an interesting narrative scheme that allows the book to meditate on lost honor without becoming didactic or too leading. Despite the soon-irrelevant opening, which begins directly in the middle of Jim's story both chronologically and thematically, the tale soon moves into the capable hands of Captain Marlow, an old salt who finds himself strangely drawn to Jim and who narrates the remaining bulk of the story. Marlow is interesting because of his sympathy for Jim and his direct involvement in Jim's attempted rehabilitation; the novel would take a very different turn if it were narrated by a character without such attachments, one who saw Jim simply as most of the world sees him: a coward. Conrad does, however, recognize the flaws of first person narration and begins the narrative in the omniscient third person, which allows him to present the novel's climactic incident before realistically restricting the story to things which Marlow knows first or secondhand.
Aside from its inventive and appropriate narrative scheme, which brilliantly shifts when necessary, Conrad's work employs an interesting running metaphor towards the end of the novel that has incredible resonance with the book's central themes, as well as those of its context. Stein, a merchant who offers Jim his final chance for successful obscurity, is obsessed with butterflies. This seemingly insignificant detail is carefully woven into the fabric of the novel when it comes back at the very end of the novel as Stein, aged and inching towards death, makes a final ironic gesture towards the butterflies, which represent not only Jim's own quest to reclaim his honor but also the unique opportunities provided by late 19th century British imperialism to entrerprising gentlemen. Conrad is subtle with the imagery, but the meaning is clear and the symbol painstakingly chosen, shifting the focus of the novel in the last sentence and adding layers of complexity and depth that stretch beyond Jim, a shift shocking because of the novel's intricate knowledge of Jim's inner life. His story, however, takes on greater significance when compared as well to that of Brown, a latter-day pirate who dramatically alters the course of events and who himself has been re-invented in the South Seas. Thus, despite some moments of confusion in the narrative and some long plotless periods in the text, Lord Jim is well worth reading for its construction (and, perhaps, deconstruction) of the responsibilities of an English gentleman and the ways in which he can seek to re-claim a damaged reputation, if such a thing is even possible. Conrad leaves the possibilities open while satisfactorily concluding Jim's story and has provided in Lord Jim valuable documentation of the late 19th century imperial mind that remains vague and complex enough to retain viability and realism into the new century.
Grade: A
Aside from its inventive and appropriate narrative scheme, which brilliantly shifts when necessary, Conrad's work employs an interesting running metaphor towards the end of the novel that has incredible resonance with the book's central themes, as well as those of its context. Stein, a merchant who offers Jim his final chance for successful obscurity, is obsessed with butterflies. This seemingly insignificant detail is carefully woven into the fabric of the novel when it comes back at the very end of the novel as Stein, aged and inching towards death, makes a final ironic gesture towards the butterflies, which represent not only Jim's own quest to reclaim his honor but also the unique opportunities provided by late 19th century British imperialism to entrerprising gentlemen. Conrad is subtle with the imagery, but the meaning is clear and the symbol painstakingly chosen, shifting the focus of the novel in the last sentence and adding layers of complexity and depth that stretch beyond Jim, a shift shocking because of the novel's intricate knowledge of Jim's inner life. His story, however, takes on greater significance when compared as well to that of Brown, a latter-day pirate who dramatically alters the course of events and who himself has been re-invented in the South Seas. Thus, despite some moments of confusion in the narrative and some long plotless periods in the text, Lord Jim is well worth reading for its construction (and, perhaps, deconstruction) of the responsibilities of an English gentleman and the ways in which he can seek to re-claim a damaged reputation, if such a thing is even possible. Conrad leaves the possibilities open while satisfactorily concluding Jim's story and has provided in Lord Jim valuable documentation of the late 19th century imperial mind that remains vague and complex enough to retain viability and realism into the new century.
Grade: A
No comments:
Post a Comment