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 8
Turning with that finished courtesy of attitude, movement, voice, which was his
obvious characteristic, he had said with delicate playfulness: “Come along and
quench your thirst with us, Mr. McNab l'' Perhaps that was it. A man who could ...
Turning with that finished courtesy of attitude, movement, voice, which was his
obvious characteristic, he had said with delicate playfulness: “Come along and
quench your thirst with us, Mr. McNab l'' Perhaps that was it. A man who could ...
Page 42
For indeed a waxwork figure would have seemed more useful than that woman
whom we all were accustomed to see sitting elevated above the two billiard-
tables— without expression, without movement, without voice, without sight. “Why
, she ...
For indeed a waxwork figure would have seemed more useful than that woman
whom we all were accustomed to see sitting elevated above the two billiard-
tables— without expression, without movement, without voice, without sight. “Why
, she ...
Page 66
In the quick time of that music, in the varied, piercing clamour of the strings, in the
movements of the bare arms, in the low dresses, the coarse faces, the stony eyes
of the executants, there was a suggestion of brutality—something cruel, ...
In the quick time of that music, in the varied, piercing clamour of the strings, in the
movements of the bare arms, in the low dresses, the coarse faces, the stony eyes
of the executants, there was a suggestion of brutality—something cruel, ...
Page 69
The murmuring noise of conversations carried on with some spirit filled
Schomberg's concert-room. Nobody remarked Heyst's movements; for indeed he
was not the only man on his legs there. He had been confronting the girl for some
time ...
The murmuring noise of conversations carried on with some spirit filled
Schomberg's concert-room. Nobody remarked Heyst's movements; for indeed he
was not the only man on his legs there. He had been confronting the girl for some
time ...
Page 70
She was looking down, very still, without colour, without glances, without voice,
without movement. It was only when Heyst addressed her in his courteous tone
that she raised her eyes. “Excuse me,” he said in English, “but that horrible
female ...
She was looking down, very still, without colour, without glances, without voice,
without movement. It was only when Heyst addressed her in his courteous tone
that she raised her eyes. “Excuse me,” he said in English, “but that horrible
female ...
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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 |