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 111
... and not to worry himself about things he did not understand ; and especially
not to be inhospitable - which in a hotel - keeper was highly unprofessional . “ I
don ' t understand , ” grumbled Schomberg . “ Oh , yes , I understand perfectly
well .
... and not to worry himself about things he did not understand ; and especially
not to be inhospitable - which in a hotel - keeper was highly unprofessional . “ I
don ' t understand , ” grumbled Schomberg . “ Oh , yes , I understand perfectly
well .
Page 213
Of course , the people here could not understand the truth of our relation to each
other . But what business of theirs was it ? Kill old Morrison ! Well , it is less
criminal , less base I am not saying it is less difficult — to kill a man than to cheat
him ...
Of course , the people here could not understand the truth of our relation to each
other . But what business of theirs was it ? Kill old Morrison ! Well , it is less
criminal , less base I am not saying it is less difficult — to kill a man than to cheat
him ...
Page 347
He gave me to understand that he would shoot me with my own revolver without
any sort of compunction , rather than risk a rude and distasteful contest with the
strange barbarians for my sake . He has preached to the villagers . They respect
...
He gave me to understand that he would shoot me with my own revolver without
any sort of compunction , rather than risk a rude and distasteful contest with the
strange barbarians for my sake . He has preached to the villagers . They respect
...
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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 |