VictoryIn Victory (1915) Conrad returns to the Malay Archipelago, to the setting of his first mature novel, Lord Jim, and in Axel Heyst he creates a hero who is in many ways similar to Jim, a noble altruist destroyed by his ideals. Heyst is emotionally crippled by the influence of his dead father, a sceptical philosopher who has bequeathed to Heyst an attitude to life summed up in the father's dying words: 'Look on - make no sound.' Despite this injunction Heyst allows himself to become inextricably involved with an English Cockney girl whom he rescues from Giancomo's Travelling Ladies' Orchestra and carries off to his isolated retreat on the island of Samburan. His action incurs the fatal wrath of Schomberg, the island's innkeeper, who sends in pursuit of Heyst three demonic strangers whose invasion of his island paradise leads rapidly to the novel's violent and tragic close. |
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Page 44
He remained blocking half the doorway, with his back to the room, and was still
there when Davidson, after sitting still for a while, rose to go. At the noise he
made Schomberg turned his head, watched him lift his hat to Mrs. Schomberg
and ...
He remained blocking half the doorway, with his back to the room, and was still
there when Davidson, after sitting still for a while, rose to go. At the noise he
made Schomberg turned his head, watched him lift his hat to Mrs. Schomberg
and ...
Page 45
Was that a thing to do in a respectable hotel? The cheek, the indecency, the
impudence, the atrocity! Vagabond, impostor, swindler, ruffian, schwein-hund !
He had seized Davidson by a button of his coat, detaining him in the doorway,
and ...
Was that a thing to do in a respectable hotel? The cheek, the indecency, the
impudence, the atrocity! Vagabond, impostor, swindler, ruffian, schwein-hund !
He had seized Davidson by a button of his coat, detaining him in the doorway,
and ...
Page 46
taining him in the doorway, and exactly in the line of Mrs. Schomberg's stony
gaze. Davidson stole a glance in that direction and thought of making some sort
of reassuring sign to her, but she looked so bereft of senses, and almost of life, ...
taining him in the doorway, and exactly in the line of Mrs. Schomberg's stony
gaze. Davidson stole a glance in that direction and thought of making some sort
of reassuring sign to her, but she looked so bereft of senses, and almost of life, ...
Page 47
Schomberg had reappeared in the doorway. He advanced. His bearing was
stately, but his nostrils were extraordinarily expanded, and he controlled his voice
with apparent effort. “Certainly. That was only business. I quoted him special
terms ...
Schomberg had reappeared in the doorway. He advanced. His bearing was
stately, but his nostrils were extraordinarily expanded, and he controlled his voice
with apparent effort. “Certainly. That was only business. I quoted him special
terms ...
Page 65
More lanterns, of the shape of cylindrical concertinas, hanging in a row from a
slack string, decorated the doorway of what Schomberg called grandiloquently “
my concert-hall.” In his desperate mood Heyst ascended three steps, lifted a
calico ...
More lanterns, of the shape of cylindrical concertinas, hanging in a row from a
slack string, decorated the doorway of what Schomberg called grandiloquently “
my concert-hall.” In his desperate mood Heyst ascended three steps, lifted a
calico ...
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - DanielSTJ - www.librarything.comConrad managed to develop characters, imperfect, that all drove themselves forward on their own agendas to the story's conclusion- facilitating and enabling it along the way. He manages to keep the ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - Cecrow - www.librarything.comIn the first part we get an outsider's view of Axel Heyst's character, actions and motives without being certain who he is or what actually drives him. I found this off-putting until the second part ... Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
Alfuro arms asked believe boat breath bungalow buran can’t chair cheroot Chinaman clairvoyance course dark Davidson didn’t door doorway dunnage eyes face faint feeling fellow felt frightened gaze gentleman gharry girl glance gleam gone governor gunwale hand hanging head hear heard Heyst hotel-keeper I’ve island Java Sea jetty Jones knew laugh Lena light lips looked Malay Martin matter mean mind Morrison moved movement murmured mysterious never night Number once paused Pedro perhaps physiognomy quiet Ricardo round Samburan Schom Schomberg schooner seemed shadow shoulders side sight silence smile sort sound Sourabaya speak staring stood strange suddenly surprised Swede table d'hôte talk tell Tesmans There's thing thought tion told tone Tropical Belt Coal trouble turned verandah voice walked Wang wasn’t watched wharf What's whispered woman wonder words wouldn’t Zangiacomo
Bibliographic information
| Title | Victory Armed Services ed Armed Services editions Penguin modern classics The modern library of the world's best books The modern library |
| Author | Joseph Conrad |
| Edition | 2 |
| Publisher | Random House, 1915 |
| Original from | University of Chicago |
| Digitized | 13 Aug 2015 |
| Length | 385 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |