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. |
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Page 86
And what else did you mean when you came up and looked at me so close ? ” “
Close ? Did I ? ” he murmured unstirring before her in the profound darkness . “
So close as that ? ” She had an outbreak of anger and despair in subdued tones .
And what else did you mean when you came up and looked at me so close ? ” “
Close ? Did I ? ” he murmured unstirring before her in the profound darkness . “
So close as that ? ” She had an outbreak of anger and despair in subdued tones .
Page 196
Man on this earth is an unforeseen accident * which does not stand close
investigation . However , that particular man died as quietly as a child goes to
sleep . But , after listening to him , I could not take my soul down into the street to
fight there ...
Man on this earth is an unforeseen accident * which does not stand close
investigation . However , that particular man died as quietly as a child goes to
sleep . But , after listening to him , I could not take my soul down into the street to
fight there ...
Page 224
... leaping into Malay unexpectedly , and in a loud voice . “ White menthree . ” “ So
close as that ? ” exclaimed Heyst ,
... leaping into Malay unexpectedly , and in a loud voice . “ White menthree . ” “ So
close as that ? ” exclaimed Heyst ,
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Common terms and phrases
answer appeared arms asked believe better boat bungalow chair clear close coming Conrad course dark Davidson don't door doubt existence expected expression eyes face fact feeling fellow felt gave girl give glance gone governor hand head hear heard heart Heyst hold idea island Jones keep leave Lena less light lips live looked manner matter mean mind Morrison moved movement murmured nature never night once passed Pedro perhaps raised reason remained Ricardo round Schomberg seemed seen sense shoulders side sight silence smile sort sound speak steps stopped strange suddenly suppose surprised talk tell thing thought tion told tone trouble turned understand verandah voice waited walked Wang watched whispered woman wonder
Bibliographic information
| Title | Victory: An Island Tale Oxford paperbacks World's classics |
| Author | Joseph Conrad |
| Editor | John Batchelor |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint, reissue |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 1986 |
| ISBN | 0192817086, 9780192817082 |
| Length | 426 pages |
| Subjects | › Fiction / Classics |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |