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 xvi
I must have been idle indeed to take the trouble to remark on such slight
evidence that the voice was very charming and when the performers resumed
their seats I shifted my position slightly in order not to have that particular
performer hidden ...
I must have been idle indeed to take the trouble to remark on such slight
evidence that the voice was very charming and when the performers resumed
their seats I shifted my position slightly in order not to have that particular
performer hidden ...
Page 11
He was really in trouble. He had come the week before into Delli, and the
Portuguese authorities, on some pretence of irregularity in his papers, had
inflicted a fine upon him and had arrested his brig. Morrison never had any spare
cash in ...
He was really in trouble. He had come the week before into Delli, and the
Portuguese authorities, on some pretence of irregularity in his papers, had
inflicted a fine upon him and had arrested his brig. Morrison never had any spare
cash in ...
Page 13
I suppose seeing a thoroughly white man made it impossible to keep my trouble
to myself. Words can't do it justice; but since I've told you so much I may as well
tell you more. Listen. This morning on board, in my cabin I went down on my ...
I suppose seeing a thoroughly white man made it impossible to keep my trouble
to myself. Words can't do it justice; but since I've told you so much I may as well
tell you more. Listen. This morning on board, in my cabin I went down on my ...
Page 30
Perhaps it was only to see whether there were any letters for him at the Tesmans.
I don't know. No one knows. But this reappearance shows that his detachment
from the world was not complete. And incompleteness of any sort leads to trouble
.
Perhaps it was only to see whether there were any letters for him at the Tesmans.
I don't know. No one knows. But this reappearance shows that his detachment
from the world was not complete. And incompleteness of any sort leads to trouble
.
Page 69
It was the same sort of impulse which years ago had made him cross the sandy
street of the abominable town of Delli in the island of Timor and accost Morrison,
practically a stranger to him then, a man in trouble, expressively harassed, ...
It was the same sort of impulse which years ago had made him cross the sandy
street of the abominable town of Delli in the island of Timor and accost Morrison,
practically a stranger to him then, a man in trouble, expressively harassed, ...
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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 |