Victory: An Island TaleIn 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. Victory was the first of Conrad's novels to be completed after the commercial success of Chance (1914) had transformed Conrad's fortunes and made him internationally famous. It is a more complex example of the literary form which Conrad evolved for Lord Jim: a story of action and high adventure coexisting with an exhaustive study of the psychology of the central character. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 38
Page 224
... Boat adrift in the straits ? " Some subtle change in Wang's bearing suggested his being out of breath ; but he did ... boat in sight - somewhere near , appar- ently . Where's that boat , Wang ? " " Round the point , " said Wang , leaping ...
... Boat adrift in the straits ? " Some subtle change in Wang's bearing suggested his being out of breath ; but he did ... boat in sight - somewhere near , appar- ently . Where's that boat , Wang ? " " Round the point , " said Wang , leaping ...
Page 226
... boat . It was very uncanny . Heyst thought of some strange hallucination . Unlikely enough ; but that a boat with three men in it should have sunk between the point and the jetty , suddenly , like a stone , without leaving as much on ...
... boat . It was very uncanny . Heyst thought of some strange hallucination . Unlikely enough ; but that a boat with three men in it should have sunk between the point and the jetty , suddenly , like a stone , without leaving as much on ...
Page 227
... boat , if it had existed and had retreated , could perhaps be seen from the far end of the long jetty . Nothing was to be seen . Heyst let his eyes roam idly over the sea . He was so absorbed in his perplexity that a hollow sound , as ...
... boat , if it had existed and had retreated , could perhaps be seen from the far end of the long jetty . Nothing was to be seen . Heyst let his eyes roam idly over the sea . He was so absorbed in his perplexity that a hollow sound , as ...
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Alfuro arms asked believe boat breath bungalow chair Chinaman Chink Conrad course dark Davidson door doorway dream eyes face faint feeling fellow felt Flores Sea Ford Madox Ford frightened gaze gentleman girl glance gleam gone governor hand head heard Heyst hotel-keeper island Java Sea jetty JOHN BATCHELOR Jones Joseph Conrad Lena light lips looked Lord Jim Martin matter mean mind Morrison moved murmured mysterious never night Norman Sherry Nostromo Number once Pedro perhaps Ricardo round Samburan Schom Schomberg schooner secretary seemed seen shadow shoulders side sight silence smile sort sound Sourabaya speak staring stood strange suddenly surprised table d'hôte talk tell Tesmans There's thing thought tion told tone Tony Tanner turned understand verandah voice walked Wang Wang's watched wharf What's whispered woman wonder words Zangiacomo