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Lord Jim
Jim, a young British seaman, becomes first mate on the Patna, a ship full of pilgrims travelling to Mecca for the hajj. When the ship starts rapidly taking on water and disaster seems imminent, Jim joins his captain and other crew members in abandoning the ship and its passengers. A few days later, they are picked up by a British ship. However, the Patna and its passengers are later also saved, and the reprehensible actions of the crew are exposed. The other participants evade the judicial court of inquiry, leaving Jim to the court alone. He is publicly censured for this action and the novel follows his later attempts at coming to terms with his past. The novel is counted as one of 100 best books of the 20th century.
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), was a Polish author who wrote in English after settling in England. Conrad is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in English, though he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties. He wrote stories and novels, often with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit in the midst of an indifferent world. He was a master prose stylist who brought a distinctly non-English tragic sensibility into English literature.
Contents:
Lord Jim
Memoirs & Letters:
A Personal Record; or Some Reminiscences
The Mirror of the Sea
Notes on Life & Letters
Biography & Critical Essays:
Joseph Conrad (A Biography) by Hugh Walpole
Joseph Conrad by John Albert Macy
A Conrad Miscellany by John Albert Macy
Joseph Conrad by Virginia Woolf
Joseph Conrad (1857-1924), was a Polish author who wrote in English after settling in England. Conrad is regarded as one of the greatest novelists in English, though he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties. He wrote stories and novels, often with a nautical setting, that depict trials of the human spirit in the midst of an indifferent world. He was a master prose stylist who brought a distinctly non-English tragic sensibility into English literature.
Contents:
Lord Jim
Memoirs & Letters:
A Personal Record; or Some Reminiscences
The Mirror of the Sea
Notes on Life & Letters
Biography & Critical Essays:
Joseph Conrad (A Biography) by Hugh Walpole
Joseph Conrad by John Albert Macy
A Conrad Miscellany by John Albert Macy
Joseph Conrad by Virginia Woolf
455 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1900
About the author
Joseph Conrad
2,283 books4,495 followersJoseph Conrad (born
Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski
) was a Polish-born English novelist who today is most famous for Heart of Darkness, his fictionalized account of Colonial Africa.
Conrad left his native Poland in his middle teens to avoid conscription into the Russian Army. He joined the French Merchant Marine and briefly employed himself as a wartime gunrunner. He then began to work aboard British ships, learning English from his shipmates. He was made a Master Mariner, and served more than sixteen years before an event inspired him to try his hand at writing.
He was hired to take a steamship into Africa, and according to Conrad, the experience of seeing firsthand the horrors of colonial rule left him a changed man.
Joseph Conrad settled in England in 1894, the year before he published his first novel. He was deeply interested in a small number of writers both in French and English whose work he studied carefully. This was useful when, because a need to come to terms with his experience, lead him to write Heart of Darkness, in 1899, which was followed by other fictionalized explorations of his life.
He has been lauded as one of the most powerful, insightful, and disturbing novelists in the English canon despite coming to English later in life, which allowed him to combine it with the sensibilities of French, Russian, and Polish literature.
Conrad left his native Poland in his middle teens to avoid conscription into the Russian Army. He joined the French Merchant Marine and briefly employed himself as a wartime gunrunner. He then began to work aboard British ships, learning English from his shipmates. He was made a Master Mariner, and served more than sixteen years before an event inspired him to try his hand at writing.
He was hired to take a steamship into Africa, and according to Conrad, the experience of seeing firsthand the horrors of colonial rule left him a changed man.
Joseph Conrad settled in England in 1894, the year before he published his first novel. He was deeply interested in a small number of writers both in French and English whose work he studied carefully. This was useful when, because a need to come to terms with his experience, lead him to write Heart of Darkness, in 1899, which was followed by other fictionalized explorations of his life.
He has been lauded as one of the most powerful, insightful, and disturbing novelists in the English canon despite coming to English later in life, which allowed him to combine it with the sensibilities of French, Russian, and Polish literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,779 reviews
October 15, 2023
Since antiquity, seafaring is covered with mists of mystery – from The Odyssey to Moby-Dick or, the Whale – perils and wonders of the sea, unknown distant shores, bountiful climes.
A seafaring novel Lord Jim is an array of colourful types but first of all it is a profound psychological tale of personal drama…
He started as a promising mariner with a fine career ahead… But a momentary lapse of willpower, a brief spell of panic and a subconscious wish to follow the others has ruined his confidence and broken his high ideals…
The public inquiry, ill conscience and the psychological burden of guilt put a curse on him and sent him running from the world and from himself… Jim was too idealistic for the real world…
However Jim has managed to find a dubious refuge… And there he even came to precarious power and was crowned with ambivalent glory… And at last he was awarded with love… But even his love was somewhat ambiguous…
The majority of human destinies are like straight lines but some fates resemble impassable labyrinths.
A seafaring novel Lord Jim is an array of colourful types but first of all it is a profound psychological tale of personal drama…
“This has nothing to do with Jim, directly; only he was outwardly so typical of that good, stupid kind we like to feel marching right and left of us in life, of the kind that is not disturbed by the vagaries of intelligence and the perversions of – of nerves, let us say. He was the kind of fellow you would, on the strength of his looks, leave in charge of the deck – figuratively and professionally speaking.”
He started as a promising mariner with a fine career ahead… But a momentary lapse of willpower, a brief spell of panic and a subconscious wish to follow the others has ruined his confidence and broken his high ideals…
“I can easily picture him to myself in the peopled gloom of the cavernous place, with the light of the bulk-lamp falling on a small portion of the bulkhead that had the weight of the ocean on the other side, and the breathing of unconscious sleepers in his ears. I can see him glaring at the iron, startled by the falling rust, overburdened by the knowledge of an imminent death.”
The public inquiry, ill conscience and the psychological burden of guilt put a curse on him and sent him running from the world and from himself… Jim was too idealistic for the real world…
“It struck me that it is from such as he that the great army of waifs and strays is recruited, the army that marches down, down into all the gutters of the earth. As soon as he left my room, that ‘bit of shelter,’ he would take his place in the ranks, and begin the journey towards the bottomless pit.”
However Jim has managed to find a dubious refuge… And there he even came to precarious power and was crowned with ambivalent glory… And at last he was awarded with love… But even his love was somewhat ambiguous…
“We have heard so many such stories, and the majority of us don’t believe them to be stories of love at all. For the most part we look upon them as stories of opportunities: episodes of passion at best, or perhaps only of youth and temptation, doomed to forgetfulness in the end, even if they pass through the reality of tenderness and regret. This view mostly is right, and perhaps in this case, too… Yet I don’t know.”
The majority of human destinies are like straight lines but some fates resemble impassable labyrinths.
July 6, 2019
If you are a serious student of Conrad, you must read Typhoon, Heart of Darkness, and Lord Jim.
After reading Lord Jim, a comparison with Heart of Darkness is unavoidable. The two books were published a year apart; Conrad began Lord Jim first, put it down to write and publish HOD, and then finished the expanded Lord Jim. Much of the tone, themes, imagery and even language are similar if not identical.
Heart of Darkness, I think, is the better literary work, and is on a short list of my all time favorite novels. It is elegant, simple, focused, relentless and inevitable. Lord Jim, by contrast, is a more ambitious work, complicated both in its telling and design, and ultimately more human.
Whereas HOD is fable-like in its earnest minimalism, Lord Jim is intentionally complex, with an almost Faulkneresque omnipresence. Both works present a dialogue between Marlowe and another. In HOD, it is Kurtz, Elliot’s Hollow Man. In Lord Jim it is Jim, an idealistic, but tragic hero; perhaps a nineteenth century Everyman, blessed and cursed alike by maritime European imperialism.
Marlowe is a narrator to Kurtz’s story, while he is a central character and a sympathetic observer of Jim. It is this interaction, between Marlowe and Jim that reminds me of The Great Gatsby and there is some evidence that Fitzgerald was an admirer of Conrad’s.
After reading Lord Jim, a comparison with Heart of Darkness is unavoidable. The two books were published a year apart; Conrad began Lord Jim first, put it down to write and publish HOD, and then finished the expanded Lord Jim. Much of the tone, themes, imagery and even language are similar if not identical.
Heart of Darkness, I think, is the better literary work, and is on a short list of my all time favorite novels. It is elegant, simple, focused, relentless and inevitable. Lord Jim, by contrast, is a more ambitious work, complicated both in its telling and design, and ultimately more human.
Whereas HOD is fable-like in its earnest minimalism, Lord Jim is intentionally complex, with an almost Faulkneresque omnipresence. Both works present a dialogue between Marlowe and another. In HOD, it is Kurtz, Elliot’s Hollow Man. In Lord Jim it is Jim, an idealistic, but tragic hero; perhaps a nineteenth century Everyman, blessed and cursed alike by maritime European imperialism.
Marlowe is a narrator to Kurtz’s story, while he is a central character and a sympathetic observer of Jim. It is this interaction, between Marlowe and Jim that reminds me of The Great Gatsby and there is some evidence that Fitzgerald was an admirer of Conrad’s.
December 23, 2024
"He was one of Us."
Lord Jim
There is an incredibly strong Force of Evil that lurks sleeping deep within us, waiting for an unconscious moment in our lives when we may take on its Dark Power for our own.
It is at that moment when we seize a random moment in our present life to Take Command of our Lives... But end up destroying them.
It is our Sleeping Daemon, and it seeks to SHAME us by our Pride.
Jim is shamed, then HAUNTED MERCILESSLY by that shame...
UNTIL HE FINDS RELEASE IN THE REDEMPTION OF HIS OWN SACRIFICE.
Just like Dostoevsky's Raskolnikov.
Or Homer's Achilles.
All three of these men LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES TO APPEASE, THEN KILL, THEIR DAEMON - And find release from their guilt.
And for all three, their Sacrifice gives New Life to a host of sympathetic onlookers.
And Dooms others, less than sympathetic.
Jim's shame begins when he falls asleep, dreaming on the deck of the freighter Padma, somewhere on the becalmed Indian Ocean.
Just like those other two great heroes act stupidly:
Half of the time we're Gone
But we don't know where
Don't know where...
But the Daemon knows.
He's taken you For a Ride.
You're suddenly Burnt Toast, my friend.
And the only thing you can do now is to burn with a Lifetime's Acute Awareness until that monstrous Albatross slides off, dead, from your neck.
There's just no other alternative.
And Jim WILL find Redemption in a Timeless Moment of Acute Awareness, but like Achilles and Raskolnikov, must first PAY for it -
Right on down to the Last Precious Farthing.
Lord Jim
There is an incredibly strong Force of Evil that lurks sleeping deep within us, waiting for an unconscious moment in our lives when we may take on its Dark Power for our own.
It is at that moment when we seize a random moment in our present life to Take Command of our Lives... But end up destroying them.
It is our Sleeping Daemon, and it seeks to SHAME us by our Pride.
Jim is shamed, then HAUNTED MERCILESSLY by that shame...
UNTIL HE FINDS RELEASE IN THE REDEMPTION OF HIS OWN SACRIFICE.
Just like Dostoevsky's Raskolnikov.
Or Homer's Achilles.
All three of these men LAY DOWN THEIR LIVES TO APPEASE, THEN KILL, THEIR DAEMON - And find release from their guilt.
And for all three, their Sacrifice gives New Life to a host of sympathetic onlookers.
And Dooms others, less than sympathetic.
Jim's shame begins when he falls asleep, dreaming on the deck of the freighter Padma, somewhere on the becalmed Indian Ocean.
Just like those other two great heroes act stupidly:
Half of the time we're Gone
But we don't know where
Don't know where...
But the Daemon knows.
He's taken you For a Ride.
You're suddenly Burnt Toast, my friend.
And the only thing you can do now is to burn with a Lifetime's Acute Awareness until that monstrous Albatross slides off, dead, from your neck.
There's just no other alternative.
And Jim WILL find Redemption in a Timeless Moment of Acute Awareness, but like Achilles and Raskolnikov, must first PAY for it -
Right on down to the Last Precious Farthing.
January 10, 2021
Jim, no other name is given except the rather pretentious one of Lord, which he acquires later on. A son of an English clergyman, who seeks adventure, among other things at sea. And becomes the first mate of the rusty, old, local steamer Patna at the age of 23. Going from port to port, mostly in the western Pacific . But everything changes, when taking 800 pilgrims to Mecca, something hits the ship underneath, springing a major leak, not good. Opening a hatch, our friend Jim sees water flooding the Patna, any moment she will sink to the bottom of the abyss. Reporting to the obese German captain, what he found. The to be honest not brave officers of the steamer agree with Jim, and decide little time remains, before the vessel goes under. What about all the passengers? Never a big deal, a shortage of lifeboats, will doom them anyways . No warning is given .... Besides, its every man for himself. The captain and his officers take the only lifeboat left (after a vigorous struggle) and go overboard. Leaving one man dead he collapsed of a heart attack. The wavering Jim, finally jumps into the sea, to save himself, no hero. Yet strangely the Patna doesn't disappear under the waves and everyone is rescued by a French gunboat... Of course, all the officers careers are over, after they are picked up too by a different vessel, nobody would hire such cowards. The first mate even testifies at the naval inquiry, the only one of the officers that does , all lose their papers. Later Jim travels from Asian harbor to harbor, he gets supplies for ships in need but always sneaking off when his true identity is discovered. People by then do not care, only the ashamed Jim, still fortune improves when meeting Captain Marlow, an old friend of his. Soon Mr.Stein, a rich European trader with a fabulous butterfly collection, gives him a job, in an Indonesian island jungle. He quickly helps to defeat a local warlord and receives the name Lord Jim for his vigorous efforts . The Englishman has the power, he can do anything he wants there, finding love with a mixed race girl, life can be sweet, however will the moody man every cleanse his soul of his demons? Enemies are around, trying to bring down Lord Jim's jungle kingdom....One of Joseph Conrad's greatest novels, the story of a man who seeks redemption, some place under the sun to live happily, fully, not be condemned for his past indiscretions...A beautiful dream...
April 27, 2016
Lord Jim is an incredibly frustrating book. It's part imperial adventure, part psychological study, in the vein of Joseph Conrad's most famous work, Heart of Darkness. However, whereas Heart was brief and elegant, Lord Jim is a repetitive slog. I spent as much time trying to figure out who was telling the story as I did actually enjoying the story.
The book tells of the eponymous Jim, who is a mate aboard the merchant ship Patna, which is carrying hundreds of Muslim pilgrims. Mid-voyage, the ship has engine trouble, and then starts taking on water. A squall is coming. The captain and crew is convinced that the Patna is going to sink. They are equally convinced that telling the pilgrims of this fact will start a panic resulting in all their deaths. So the brave captain and his hearty men depart the ship in a lifeboat. Jim follows suit.
The only problem: the ship doesn't sink. Later, it is towed into harbor, with no loss of life. The crew of the Patna, Jim included, go on trial before the shipping board. Eventually, he loses his sailing certificate. Of all the men, only Jim seems ashamed. And he is really ashamed. I mean pathological. Most of this book is devoted to his all-consuming wallow.
The story is told in typical Conrad fashion, by which I mean it utilizes every contrivance known to LOST. The first section of the book is written in the third-person. This was my favorite part. It was fast-moving, uncluttered, and clear. Then Marlow, the loquacious raconteur from Heart of Darkness shows up and starts spinning his story. Apparently recovered from the jaundice he got searching for Kurtz, Marlow is in the mood to talk. And talk. And talk. He's the quintessential drunk uncle on Thanksgiving. Long after everyone else has fallen asleep watching the Dallas game, he's still there, wine in hand, telling you the same thing for the fourth time.
The next roughly two-thirds of the book is told in first person by Marlow. This section utilizes nested dialogue, so that Marlow will be relating a story in which a person within that story is also relating a story. (The number of unreliable narrators in Lord Jim is astounding). When you look at a page, you see a mass of quotation marks. It all gets very confusing. Just to make it more confusing, every once in awhile the book will jump back to third-person. Then the book ends with a letter(!) written by Marlow to an unnamed man who'd been listening to the original story.
It was the nested dialogue that did me in. There's really no reason why you have to use quotation marks as Marlow tells his story. It would've been much simpler to just shift the book from third to first person while Marlow talks, instead of working Marlow's extended monologue into the third-person format, requiring the use of quotation marks inside quotation marks. For whatever reason, Conrad is insistent on jamming these essentially first-person narratives into third-person. This choice wasn't a big deal in Heart of Darkness because the framing device was much simpler: start by introducing Marlow; Marlow tells his story; end with Marlow finishing story. In Lord Jim, it's a much bigger problem, because the narrative is jumping all over the place. There are stories told within stories; at times it's like opening a Russian nesting doll. There are dozens of tangents and digressions and trying to keep straight who's doing the talking - whether it's Marlow or Jim or some other characters - requires constant attention.
I was also disappointed by how repetitive this book was. Marlow takes an interest in Jim, for reasons I can only surmise (old man obsessed with young man...oh I'll just stop), and tries to get him a job. Jim takes the job, does a good job, then quits whenever the Patna is brought up. So Marlow gets Jim another Job, Jim does a good job...etc.
Finally, Marlow, through the help of his friend Stein, finds Jim employment on the island of Patusan, in the Malay Archipelago. Here, Jim becomes a benevolent Kurtz and earns his honorific "Lord." He falls in love with a mixed-race girl named Jewel, becomes friends with Dain Waris, a chief's son, and generally seems content (though he will never stop brooding about his moment of cowardice, to the point where I wanted to slap the taste right out of his mouth). The finale comes when a buccaneer named Gentleman Brown invades Patusan and Jim shows that a man's character is indeed his fate.
There are parts to like about Lord Jim. Conrad is a great writer, and it almost goes without saying that if you read this book, you will find masterful descriptions, colorful imagery, and incisively wielded similes.
The book tells of the eponymous Jim, who is a mate aboard the merchant ship Patna, which is carrying hundreds of Muslim pilgrims. Mid-voyage, the ship has engine trouble, and then starts taking on water. A squall is coming. The captain and crew is convinced that the Patna is going to sink. They are equally convinced that telling the pilgrims of this fact will start a panic resulting in all their deaths. So the brave captain and his hearty men depart the ship in a lifeboat. Jim follows suit.
The only problem: the ship doesn't sink. Later, it is towed into harbor, with no loss of life. The crew of the Patna, Jim included, go on trial before the shipping board. Eventually, he loses his sailing certificate. Of all the men, only Jim seems ashamed. And he is really ashamed. I mean pathological. Most of this book is devoted to his all-consuming wallow.
The story is told in typical Conrad fashion, by which I mean it utilizes every contrivance known to LOST. The first section of the book is written in the third-person. This was my favorite part. It was fast-moving, uncluttered, and clear. Then Marlow, the loquacious raconteur from Heart of Darkness shows up and starts spinning his story. Apparently recovered from the jaundice he got searching for Kurtz, Marlow is in the mood to talk. And talk. And talk. He's the quintessential drunk uncle on Thanksgiving. Long after everyone else has fallen asleep watching the Dallas game, he's still there, wine in hand, telling you the same thing for the fourth time.
This was my first view of Jim. He looked as unconcerned and unapproachable as only the young can look. There he stood, clean-limbed, clean-faced, firm on his feet, as promising a boy as the sun ever shone on...
The next roughly two-thirds of the book is told in first person by Marlow. This section utilizes nested dialogue, so that Marlow will be relating a story in which a person within that story is also relating a story. (The number of unreliable narrators in Lord Jim is astounding). When you look at a page, you see a mass of quotation marks. It all gets very confusing. Just to make it more confusing, every once in awhile the book will jump back to third-person. Then the book ends with a letter(!) written by Marlow to an unnamed man who'd been listening to the original story.
It was the nested dialogue that did me in. There's really no reason why you have to use quotation marks as Marlow tells his story. It would've been much simpler to just shift the book from third to first person while Marlow talks, instead of working Marlow's extended monologue into the third-person format, requiring the use of quotation marks inside quotation marks. For whatever reason, Conrad is insistent on jamming these essentially first-person narratives into third-person. This choice wasn't a big deal in Heart of Darkness because the framing device was much simpler: start by introducing Marlow; Marlow tells his story; end with Marlow finishing story. In Lord Jim, it's a much bigger problem, because the narrative is jumping all over the place. There are stories told within stories; at times it's like opening a Russian nesting doll. There are dozens of tangents and digressions and trying to keep straight who's doing the talking - whether it's Marlow or Jim or some other characters - requires constant attention.
I was also disappointed by how repetitive this book was. Marlow takes an interest in Jim, for reasons I can only surmise (old man obsessed with young man...oh I'll just stop), and tries to get him a job. Jim takes the job, does a good job, then quits whenever the Patna is brought up. So Marlow gets Jim another Job, Jim does a good job...etc.
Finally, Marlow, through the help of his friend Stein, finds Jim employment on the island of Patusan, in the Malay Archipelago. Here, Jim becomes a benevolent Kurtz and earns his honorific "Lord." He falls in love with a mixed-race girl named Jewel, becomes friends with Dain Waris, a chief's son, and generally seems content (though he will never stop brooding about his moment of cowardice, to the point where I wanted to slap the taste right out of his mouth). The finale comes when a buccaneer named Gentleman Brown invades Patusan and Jim shows that a man's character is indeed his fate.
There are parts to like about Lord Jim. Conrad is a great writer, and it almost goes without saying that if you read this book, you will find masterful descriptions, colorful imagery, and incisively wielded similes.
Every morning the sun, as if keeping pace in his revolutions with the progress of the pilgrimage, emerged with a silent burst of light exactly at the same distance astern of the ship, caught up with her at noon, pouring the concentrated fire of his rays on the pious purposes of the men, glided past on his descent, and sank mysteriously into the sea evening after evening, preserving the same distance ahead of her advancing bows...The awnings covered her deck with a white roof from stem to stern, and a faint hum, a low murmur of sad voices, alone revealed the presence of a crowd of people upon the great blaze of the ocean. Such were the days, still, hot, heavy, disappearing one by one into the past, as if falling into an abyss of ever open in the wake of the ship; and the ship, lonely under a wisp of smoke, held on her steadfast way black and smoldering in a luminous immensity, as if scorched by a flame flicked at her from a heaven without pity. The nights descended on her like a benediction.
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April 10, 2020The outlook is bleak. Conrad's last book of the nineteenth century offers the certainty that we can never be good enough, if you are lucky disillusionment will result, if less lucky disaster, and your own death will be a mercy. Ideals, civilisation and values, even love, none have a chance in the face of our universal insufficiencies, however before we start getting too pessimistic the novel itself is an exercise in optimism - at least - Conrad demonstrates, we can talk about these things, even with aplomb and in foreign languages like English.
There is such magnificent vagueness in the expectations that had driven each of us to sea, such a glorious indefiniteness, such a beautiful greed of adventures that are their own and only reward! What we get...In no other life is the illusion more wide of reality - in no other is the beginning all illusion- the disenchantment more swift - the subjection more complete (p.101)
In a heap of ways this book reminded me of Heart of Darkness, playing with the same themes, though from a different point of view, using the same Marlow narrator to frame the central narrative. The Kurtz character is the central figure in this story but we are closer to him. Conrad expands the stream of narration style to book length and in this edition Conrad added a later defence arguing that this was a realistic conceit, there have been longer speeches in parliament he says, however he doesn't seem to have settled the issue definitively by having the book recorded on to wax cylinders and inventing the audio book.
The back cover records praise from Virginia Woolf, and it is not so far, I suppose, from stream of narrative to stream of consciousness.
The chief thing which caught my attention at least to start with is how character driven the book is. Conrad dreams up his Jim, sets him on the page like some clockwork toy and then watches his non-linear progression - what will happen to such and such a person when they are in a position when they realise they are not good enough, what will they do then? If they were to get a second chance how might that come about and how might that chance play out, so long as we assume that every that happens must be congruent with 'Jim's' character? And there we go we have a novel. It is quite remarkable.
For a while I was uncomfortable with the storyline of broken white man floats in on 'native' population and saves them, rules over them justly as their Lord, but Conrad wasn't comfortable with anything so straight forward either - a happy colonialist ending was not congruent with his or 'Lord Jim's' character.
The downside is that Heart of Darkness is better, compressed, distilled, punchier, this book is only going to come out the worse in comparison.
There is such magnificent vagueness in the expectations that had driven each of us to sea, such a glorious indefiniteness, such a beautiful greed of adventures that are their own and only reward! What we get...In no other life is the illusion more wide of reality - in no other is the beginning all illusion- the disenchantment more swift - the subjection more complete (p.101)
In a heap of ways this book reminded me of Heart of Darkness, playing with the same themes, though from a different point of view, using the same Marlow narrator to frame the central narrative. The Kurtz character is the central figure in this story but we are closer to him. Conrad expands the stream of narration style to book length and in this edition Conrad added a later defence arguing that this was a realistic conceit, there have been longer speeches in parliament he says, however he doesn't seem to have settled the issue definitively by having the book recorded on to wax cylinders and inventing the audio book.
The back cover records praise from Virginia Woolf, and it is not so far, I suppose, from stream of narrative to stream of consciousness.
The chief thing which caught my attention at least to start with is how character driven the book is. Conrad dreams up his Jim, sets him on the page like some clockwork toy and then watches his non-linear progression - what will happen to such and such a person when they are in a position when they realise they are not good enough, what will they do then? If they were to get a second chance how might that come about and how might that chance play out, so long as we assume that every that happens must be congruent with 'Jim's' character? And there we go we have a novel. It is quite remarkable.
For a while I was uncomfortable with the storyline of broken white man floats in on 'native' population and saves them, rules over them justly as their Lord, but Conrad wasn't comfortable with anything so straight forward either - a happy colonialist ending was not congruent with his or 'Lord Jim's' character.
The downside is that Heart of Darkness is better, compressed, distilled, punchier, this book is only going to come out the worse in comparison.
February 5, 2021
This is the book I most often recommend to others. It has a near-perfect balance of character, plot, and theme, which is almost impossible to find and very powerful. I also find it inspiring that English was Joseph Conrad’s third language. He wrote exceptional, elegant prose. Joseph Conrad’s books about sailing are some of his most compelling, drawing on his personal experiences, so that even someone like me, who grew up very landlocked, can feel every detail.
My high school English teacher used to urge this book, but I didn’t read it until years later, when I was struggling through a major health issue and had a copy that my grandfather passed down to me. Lord Jim was so absorbing that one of my two just-in-case pre-surgery goals became completing it. (The other was to finish editing my own novel.) Joseph Conrad’s story came completely alive, and finding out what happened to Jim became very important and personal. The language of the text is richly woven. This is an amazingly well-written book, and an all-time classic piece of literature.
My high school English teacher used to urge this book, but I didn’t read it until years later, when I was struggling through a major health issue and had a copy that my grandfather passed down to me. Lord Jim was so absorbing that one of my two just-in-case pre-surgery goals became completing it. (The other was to finish editing my own novel.) Joseph Conrad’s story came completely alive, and finding out what happened to Jim became very important and personal. The language of the text is richly woven. This is an amazingly well-written book, and an all-time classic piece of literature.
November 9, 2016
Ponderous and difficult to follow, but still a beautiful piece of work.
I say "difficult to follow" in the sense that Conrad did not always balance his action and exposition in Lord Jim. There were large sections of backstory or the minutia of character. Certainly character is the cornerstone of this work in which a man buries himself deeper and deeper into a manageable backwoods fiefdom of sorts in order to escape his own failings on the larger stage of civilization, so it's hard to fault Conrad on this point.
The "show, don't tell" writers' credo is perhaps driven home more today than it was in his time, so my complaint is biased since I'm viewing the book through a modern day reader's mentality. And although I love philosophy so much I considered majoring in it in collage, I personally prefer to read work that moves. Yes, do give me inner struggles, philosophizing, moralizing and the like, but I'd rather they were slipped into the action, like a pill hidden in the dog's food in order to get the animal to eat it. This animal will swallow pretty much anything if it's wrapped in a delicious facade. I'm only human.
I say "difficult to follow" in the sense that Conrad did not always balance his action and exposition in Lord Jim. There were large sections of backstory or the minutia of character. Certainly character is the cornerstone of this work in which a man buries himself deeper and deeper into a manageable backwoods fiefdom of sorts in order to escape his own failings on the larger stage of civilization, so it's hard to fault Conrad on this point.
The "show, don't tell" writers' credo is perhaps driven home more today than it was in his time, so my complaint is biased since I'm viewing the book through a modern day reader's mentality. And although I love philosophy so much I considered majoring in it in collage, I personally prefer to read work that moves. Yes, do give me inner struggles, philosophizing, moralizing and the like, but I'd rather they were slipped into the action, like a pill hidden in the dog's food in order to get the animal to eat it. This animal will swallow pretty much anything if it's wrapped in a delicious facade. I'm only human.
September 6, 2007
So much to say about this novel. One one hand it's an adventure tale, but on the other it's a harbinger of the modern novel, told from various points of view, creating an almost cubist vision of one man's struggle with guilt and morality.
The prose is beautiful and the characters fascinating, every one of them plagued by their own inner demons. Jim, himself, is almost a younger version of Kurtz from Heart of Darkness, but my favorite characters were probably Brierly, the forboding sea captain, and Stein amidst all his butterflies.
This novel is steeped in so much beauty and melancholy. The passages about the Patna disaster are devastating. Well worth a read.
The prose is beautiful and the characters fascinating, every one of them plagued by their own inner demons. Jim, himself, is almost a younger version of Kurtz from Heart of Darkness, but my favorite characters were probably Brierly, the forboding sea captain, and Stein amidst all his butterflies.
This novel is steeped in so much beauty and melancholy. The passages about the Patna disaster are devastating. Well worth a read.
April 7, 2023
Review of the first 100 pages. As far as I could make it.
It wasn't good. It wasn't bad. It was meh.
This is my second attempt at Lord Jim (I made it 100 pages this time), and once again, I've failed to grasp what people see in it. It's boring. It's stupid. It's slow. It reads like a textbook.
I wanted to like it. I was excited to read it. Classics are classic for a reason, and I was sure I'd love it, but it was meh. It was like looking through a photo album of someone you don't know, or talking to an occasional work aquitence. You're not really interested in it, but it's there, so you look at it, or you make small talk. It's meh.
Do yourself a favor and read something else.
It wasn't good. It wasn't bad. It was meh.
This is my second attempt at Lord Jim (I made it 100 pages this time), and once again, I've failed to grasp what people see in it. It's boring. It's stupid. It's slow. It reads like a textbook.
I wanted to like it. I was excited to read it. Classics are classic for a reason, and I was sure I'd love it, but it was meh. It was like looking through a photo album of someone you don't know, or talking to an occasional work aquitence. You're not really interested in it, but it's there, so you look at it, or you make small talk. It's meh.
Do yourself a favor and read something else.
April 24, 2018
785. Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad
Lord Jim is a novel by Joseph Conrad originally published as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine from October 1899 to November 1900. An early and primary event in the story is the abandonment of a passenger ship in distress by its crew, including a young British seaman named Jim. He is publicly censured for this action and the novel follows his later attempts at coming to terms with himself and his past.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سوم ماه نوامبر سال 1997 میلادی
عنوان: لرد جیم؛ نویسنده: جوزف کنراد؛ مترجم: صالح حسینی؛ تهران، نیلوفر، 1362؛ در در 415 ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان سده 19 م
سفر به خیر مسافر اعماق دریاها و جان آدمیان!
خواندن لرد جیم دشوار است، اما اگر هیچ سطری را بی دقت لازم رها نکنیم، و گاه حتی بندی یا فصلی را دوباره بخوانیم، به چنان تجربه ای میرسیم که در خوانش رمانهای عصر ما کمتر رخ میدهد. پسری به نام جیم، به امید زندگی پرماجرا، به فکر میافتد که ملوان شود. روزی به عنوان دستیار سوار کشتی کهنه ای میشود که مسافران را جابجا میکند. توفان درمیگیرد و نزدیک است که کشتی غرق شود. جیم، در برابر ترسی که در ژرفای درون هر انسانی خفته است تسلیم میشود و به همراه سه نفر دیگر، بر تنها قایق موجود سوار میشود و کشتی را با هرچه در آن است رها میکند. کشتی معجزه آسا نجات مییابد و یک کشتی توپ انداز فرانسوی موفق میشود آن را تا خشکی یدک بکشد. به زودی بازرسی را آغاز میکنند. جیم که اقبال کمتری از همسفرهایش داشته، در این ماجرا سرافکنده میشود. «مارلو»ی پیر، که مردی نیکوکار است، در جستجوی کشف راز این نامردمی برمیآید. او میخواهد به جیم کمک کند تا زندگی خویش را از نو بسازد و او را به چندتن از دوستانش که در مشرق زمین مستقر هستند میسپارد. قهرمان داستان، در مقام پادو از بندری به بندر دیگر میرود؛ بی آنکه بتواند در محلی استقرار یابد، زیرا مایل است ناشناس باقی بماند. سرانجام با یک تاجر آلمانی به نام اشتاین برخورد میکند که او را به پاتوزان، جزیره ای دور افتاده در مجمع الجزایر مالزی میفرستد؛ این جزیره عرصه ی جنگ داخلی است. جیم به سختی از چندین توطئه جان به درمیبرد. سپس رهبری حزب دورامین، دوست قدیمی اشتاین را به عهده میگیرد و موفق میشود علی را، که مردی طماع است، شکست دهد و اعتماد بومیان را به دست آورد. قدرت و شجاعت جیم به زودی بر سر زبانها میافتد و عشق در وجود بیژو، دختر یک مالزیایی، به او لبخند میزند. بیژو در دومین ازدواج خود به همسری کورنلیوس درآمده بود، کسی که جیم جانشین او شده است. به نظر میآید که گذشته جیم خاطره ای ناخوشایندی بیش نبوده است. اما در این وقت، مردی سفیدپوست که به جرم تجارت غیرمجاز تحت تعقیب یک کشتی اسپانیایی است، به پاتوزان میرسد: این شخص نادرست براون نام دارد، و امیدوار است که با به آتش و خون کشیدن آن سرزمین، دوباره به مال و منال برسد. در حالیکه بومیان خود را برای مبارزه آماده میکنند، جیم به براون امکان میدهد، تا آنجا را ترک گوید؛ به شرط آنکه به هیچکس صدمه ای نرساند. چه خیال باطلی! زیرا این جانی، به راهنمایی کورنلیوس که کینه ای سخت از جیم به دل دارد، بومیانی را که اعتماد کرده اند غافلگیر میکند، و با قتل عام کردن آنها، پسر دورامین را نیز به قتل میرساند. و اما پایان کار جیم بسیار تأسفبار است. او میبیند که بار دیگر اعتماد همنوعانش را از دست داده است. خواهشهای بیژو و سایر دوستانش را ناشنیده میگیرد، و حتی کوششی برای اثبات بیگناهی خود نمیکند: او، که بی سلاح در برابر دورامین ظاهر میشود، خود را به شکلی رقت انگیز از میان برمیدارد. این داستان که به تمامی از زبان «مارلو»ی پیر حکایت میشود، ممکن است که گاهی خوانشگر را خسته کند؛ اگرچه لحن آن به خوبی با عذابهای قهرمان داستان منطبق است. علاقه ی شگفتانگیزی که نویسنده به قهرمان داستان، حتی در بدترین لحظه های سقوطش، ابراز میدارد، از این اثر یکی از بارزترین تجسمهای برادری انسانها را میسازد. ا. شربیانی
Lord Jim is a novel by Joseph Conrad originally published as a serial in Blackwood's Magazine from October 1899 to November 1900. An early and primary event in the story is the abandonment of a passenger ship in distress by its crew, including a young British seaman named Jim. He is publicly censured for this action and the novel follows his later attempts at coming to terms with himself and his past.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: سوم ماه نوامبر سال 1997 میلادی
عنوان: لرد جیم؛ نویسنده: جوزف کنراد؛ مترجم: صالح حسینی؛ تهران، نیلوفر، 1362؛ در در 415 ص؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان سده 19 م
سفر به خیر مسافر اعماق دریاها و جان آدمیان!
خواندن لرد جیم دشوار است، اما اگر هیچ سطری را بی دقت لازم رها نکنیم، و گاه حتی بندی یا فصلی را دوباره بخوانیم، به چنان تجربه ای میرسیم که در خوانش رمانهای عصر ما کمتر رخ میدهد. پسری به نام جیم، به امید زندگی پرماجرا، به فکر میافتد که ملوان شود. روزی به عنوان دستیار سوار کشتی کهنه ای میشود که مسافران را جابجا میکند. توفان درمیگیرد و نزدیک است که کشتی غرق شود. جیم، در برابر ترسی که در ژرفای درون هر انسانی خفته است تسلیم میشود و به همراه سه نفر دیگر، بر تنها قایق موجود سوار میشود و کشتی را با هرچه در آن است رها میکند. کشتی معجزه آسا نجات مییابد و یک کشتی توپ انداز فرانسوی موفق میشود آن را تا خشکی یدک بکشد. به زودی بازرسی را آغاز میکنند. جیم که اقبال کمتری از همسفرهایش داشته، در این ماجرا سرافکنده میشود. «مارلو»ی پیر، که مردی نیکوکار است، در جستجوی کشف راز این نامردمی برمیآید. او میخواهد به جیم کمک کند تا زندگی خویش را از نو بسازد و او را به چندتن از دوستانش که در مشرق زمین مستقر هستند میسپارد. قهرمان داستان، در مقام پادو از بندری به بندر دیگر میرود؛ بی آنکه بتواند در محلی استقرار یابد، زیرا مایل است ناشناس باقی بماند. سرانجام با یک تاجر آلمانی به نام اشتاین برخورد میکند که او را به پاتوزان، جزیره ای دور افتاده در مجمع الجزایر مالزی میفرستد؛ این جزیره عرصه ی جنگ داخلی است. جیم به سختی از چندین توطئه جان به درمیبرد. سپس رهبری حزب دورامین، دوست قدیمی اشتاین را به عهده میگیرد و موفق میشود علی را، که مردی طماع است، شکست دهد و اعتماد بومیان را به دست آورد. قدرت و شجاعت جیم به زودی بر سر زبانها میافتد و عشق در وجود بیژو، دختر یک مالزیایی، به او لبخند میزند. بیژو در دومین ازدواج خود به همسری کورنلیوس درآمده بود، کسی که جیم جانشین او شده است. به نظر میآید که گذشته جیم خاطره ای ناخوشایندی بیش نبوده است. اما در این وقت، مردی سفیدپوست که به جرم تجارت غیرمجاز تحت تعقیب یک کشتی اسپانیایی است، به پاتوزان میرسد: این شخص نادرست براون نام دارد، و امیدوار است که با به آتش و خون کشیدن آن سرزمین، دوباره به مال و منال برسد. در حالیکه بومیان خود را برای مبارزه آماده میکنند، جیم به براون امکان میدهد، تا آنجا را ترک گوید؛ به شرط آنکه به هیچکس صدمه ای نرساند. چه خیال باطلی! زیرا این جانی، به راهنمایی کورنلیوس که کینه ای سخت از جیم به دل دارد، بومیانی را که اعتماد کرده اند غافلگیر میکند، و با قتل عام کردن آنها، پسر دورامین را نیز به قتل میرساند. و اما پایان کار جیم بسیار تأسفبار است. او میبیند که بار دیگر اعتماد همنوعانش را از دست داده است. خواهشهای بیژو و سایر دوستانش را ناشنیده میگیرد، و حتی کوششی برای اثبات بیگناهی خود نمیکند: او، که بی سلاح در برابر دورامین ظاهر میشود، خود را به شکلی رقت انگیز از میان برمیدارد. این داستان که به تمامی از زبان «مارلو»ی پیر حکایت میشود، ممکن است که گاهی خوانشگر را خسته کند؛ اگرچه لحن آن به خوبی با عذابهای قهرمان داستان منطبق است. علاقه ی شگفتانگیزی که نویسنده به قهرمان داستان، حتی در بدترین لحظه های سقوطش، ابراز میدارد، از این اثر یکی از بارزترین تجسمهای برادری انسانها را میسازد. ا. شربیانی
May 19, 2014
It has been over a week and a half since I last finished a book. This is so extremely unusual. I'm trying not to hold it agains the collection of books I've been reading that week in a half, but at times it's hard. I find myself eyeing Ulysses suspiciously, poke The Reality Dysfunction every once in a while to see if it's moved, or tuck The Idiot in my purse to try to get through just a little more. (Does anyone else think it's odd that a 600+ Dostoyevsky book is the only one that will fit in my purse?)
And Lord Jim, which I've also had underway for most of that time. And is the first of the bunch I actually finished.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the recent changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
And Lord Jim, which I've also had underway for most of that time. And is the first of the bunch I actually finished.
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the recent changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
October 20, 2017
دوستانِ گرانقدر، پیش از همه چیز باید بگویم، بنظرم این داستان یک نکتهٔ خسته کننده دارد و آن این است که نویسنده، <جوزف کنراد> در جای جایِ داستان، به احساساتِ درونی و سخن گفتنِ شخصیتِ اصلی داستان با وجدانِ خویش پرداخته است که این موضوع داستان را به درازا کشانده است
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عزیزانم، داستان از این قرار است که جوانی ماجراجو به نامِ <جیم>، به کارِ دریانوردی میپردازد... در یکی از سفرها، کشتی دچار طوفانِ دریا شده و جیم به همراهِ چندی دیگر از ملوانها، کشتی را ترک کرده و مسافران را تنها میگذرانند.. همان طوفان سبب میشود تا مسافرانِ کشتی، در دریا غرق شوند و جیم و دوستانش نیز نجات یابند.... پس از این رویدادِ تلخ و کارِ ناجوانمردانه و پستی که جیم انجام میدهد، عذاب وجدان او را رها نمیکند و همیشه کابوس میبیند و احساس میکند که آن موضوع سبب شده تا همیشه نفرینی بالایِ سرِ او و زندگی اش، باشد...... خلاصه، مدت ها میگذرد و سرانجام جیم دوباره به دریا باز میگردد و اینبار به عنوانِ منشیِ یک شرکتِ مسافرتی، به شهرهایِ گوناگون سفر میکند. ولی این ترس همیشه با اوست که مبادا کسی از آن حادثه زنده مانده باشد و پرده از آن جنایتِ ناجوانمردانه بردارد و آبرویِ او را بریزد....... جیم در یکی از سفرها، به جزیره ای در مجمع الجزایرِ "ماله" به نامِ "پاتوزان" میرسد ... جزیره دچارِ جنگ هایِ داخلی میباشد و جیم در آنجا با فرمانده ای از جنگجویان به نامِ <دورامین> آشنا میشود و در کنارِ دورامین با <علی> رهبرِ مخالفان در جزیره، میجنگد و علی را شکست میدهند و جیم در آن جنگ از خویش بی باکی و دلاوری های زیادی نشان میدهد و از آن پس مردم او را با نامِ <لرد جیم> صدا میزنند و زندگی جیم به یک آرامشِ نسبی میرسد و در همان جزیره نیز ماندگار میشود و با دختری به نامِ <جواهر> که از بومیانِ جزیره میباشد، ازدواج میکند
همه چیز به خوبی پیش میرود تا آنکه مردی جنایتکار و جنگ طلب به نامِ <براون> وارد جزیره میشود و با فریب و جنگ طلبی هایِ خویش، سبب میشود تا بومیان و اهالی جزیره که به جیم وفادار هستند، شورش کنند و اینگونه بازهم در جزیره کشت و کشتار، آغاز میشود... در این شورش ها، پسرِ فرمانده دورامین، به دستِ شورشی ها، کشته میشود..... جیم زمانی که این رویدادهای تلخ و ناگوار را میبیند، به نوعی اسیرِ خرافات های مذهبی شده و تصور میکند این همان نفرینی است که سالهایِ سال، پس از انجامِ آن کارِ غیر انسانی با مسافران، همراه او بوده است و تصمیم میگیرد که.............................. عزیزانم، بهتر است خودتان این داستان را بخوانید و از سرانجامِ آن آگاه شوید
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امیدوارم این ریویو در جهتِ شناختِ این کتاب، مفید بوده باشه
<پیروز باشید و ایرانی>
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عزیزانم، داستان از این قرار است که جوانی ماجراجو به نامِ <جیم>، به کارِ دریانوردی میپردازد... در یکی از سفرها، کشتی دچار طوفانِ دریا شده و جیم به همراهِ چندی دیگر از ملوانها، کشتی را ترک کرده و مسافران را تنها میگذرانند.. همان طوفان سبب میشود تا مسافرانِ کشتی، در دریا غرق شوند و جیم و دوستانش نیز نجات یابند.... پس از این رویدادِ تلخ و کارِ ناجوانمردانه و پستی که جیم انجام میدهد، عذاب وجدان او را رها نمیکند و همیشه کابوس میبیند و احساس میکند که آن موضوع سبب شده تا همیشه نفرینی بالایِ سرِ او و زندگی اش، باشد...... خلاصه، مدت ها میگذرد و سرانجام جیم دوباره به دریا باز میگردد و اینبار به عنوانِ منشیِ یک شرکتِ مسافرتی، به شهرهایِ گوناگون سفر میکند. ولی این ترس همیشه با اوست که مبادا کسی از آن حادثه زنده مانده باشد و پرده از آن جنایتِ ناجوانمردانه بردارد و آبرویِ او را بریزد....... جیم در یکی از سفرها، به جزیره ای در مجمع الجزایرِ "ماله" به نامِ "پاتوزان" میرسد ... جزیره دچارِ جنگ هایِ داخلی میباشد و جیم در آنجا با فرمانده ای از جنگجویان به نامِ <دورامین> آشنا میشود و در کنارِ دورامین با <علی> رهبرِ مخالفان در جزیره، میجنگد و علی را شکست میدهند و جیم در آن جنگ از خویش بی باکی و دلاوری های زیادی نشان میدهد و از آن پس مردم او را با نامِ <لرد جیم> صدا میزنند و زندگی جیم به یک آرامشِ نسبی میرسد و در همان جزیره نیز ماندگار میشود و با دختری به نامِ <جواهر> که از بومیانِ جزیره میباشد، ازدواج میکند
همه چیز به خوبی پیش میرود تا آنکه مردی جنایتکار و جنگ طلب به نامِ <براون> وارد جزیره میشود و با فریب و جنگ طلبی هایِ خویش، سبب میشود تا بومیان و اهالی جزیره که به جیم وفادار هستند، شورش کنند و اینگونه بازهم در جزیره کشت و کشتار، آغاز میشود... در این شورش ها، پسرِ فرمانده دورامین، به دستِ شورشی ها، کشته میشود..... جیم زمانی که این رویدادهای تلخ و ناگوار را میبیند، به نوعی اسیرِ خرافات های مذهبی شده و تصور میکند این همان نفرینی است که سالهایِ سال، پس از انجامِ آن کارِ غیر انسانی با مسافران، همراه او بوده است و تصمیم میگیرد که.............................. عزیزانم، بهتر است خودتان این داستان را بخوانید و از سرانجامِ آن آگاه شوید
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امیدوارم این ریویو در جهتِ شناختِ این کتاب، مفید بوده باشه
<پیروز باشید و ایرانی>
August 7, 2021
Joseph Conrad is one of the greatest writers to ever write in English. It amazes me greatly that the polish author was able to write so fluently in a language he did not learn until his twenties. But it seems to me that he will fall on the wrong side of social critic. this was on my 100 greatest book poster and i found it odd that they chose this rather that his more famous, more controversial work Heart of Darkness. truth is if you got a social issue you can easily use this a fodder for race equality or gender equality. But I'm not that guy! Although i don't agree with his viewpoints i think they are accurate of his time and social position.
Jim (last name withheld) a English born, blue eyed, blond haired, strong clergyman son and described often as one of us. Is a first mate on a passenger ship of Muslim emigrates and abandoned ship with the other white officer. I'll get that out of the way the idea of dark skin people needing Whites to manage them is a constant theme. As someone with Cherokee/creek native American blood who family is only 3 generation off the reservation i can attest to that kind of mentality in historical terms. If i can tough through the narrative so can you. yes i cringed every time it was brought up and my rating reflects that. Any who, if you read classics you know this brings Jim dishonor and in those days Dishonor is worse that death! So Jim spends most of the novel in shame running from his guilt. He ends up in a native city and somehow runs the show on sheer weight of his overwhelming whiteness. There he meets a girl who is just waiting for a strong man to sweep her off her feet! Tragedy happens and the story ends.
This is a tragedy and a tough read. But Conrad the master of the Victorian European mind makes this a must read! It's also a nautical tale if that's your thing!
Jim (last name withheld) a English born, blue eyed, blond haired, strong clergyman son and described often as one of us. Is a first mate on a passenger ship of Muslim emigrates and abandoned ship with the other white officer. I'll get that out of the way the idea of dark skin people needing Whites to manage them is a constant theme. As someone with Cherokee/creek native American blood who family is only 3 generation off the reservation i can attest to that kind of mentality in historical terms. If i can tough through the narrative so can you. yes i cringed every time it was brought up and my rating reflects that. Any who, if you read classics you know this brings Jim dishonor and in those days Dishonor is worse that death! So Jim spends most of the novel in shame running from his guilt. He ends up in a native city and somehow runs the show on sheer weight of his overwhelming whiteness. There he meets a girl who is just waiting for a strong man to sweep her off her feet! Tragedy happens and the story ends.
This is a tragedy and a tough read. But Conrad the master of the Victorian European mind makes this a must read! It's also a nautical tale if that's your thing!
October 30, 2008
I generally only bother to review books I enjoyed- especially since I'm not bothering much to go back to review those I read quite some time ago. Lord Jim requires a review.
Why did I loathe this book so much... I was an English major in college. I have a master's degree in English literature. I love books! This book is the only novel I have ever read that put me to sleep. I could not get involved in the action. Conrad's verbose English diction and excessively correct grammar infuriated me. His style frustrated me, his plot was essentially non-existent, and I hated the characters. I had no empathy for them, I had no desire to read it, and plogging through it killed brain cells.
I admit that I read this in high school- it is entirely possible that I would reject it less now that I am more attuned with Conrad's purpose. I don't particularly care. If I have to hate one author, one book, with a passion? This is it!
Nothing made me happier than the tragic ending.
Why did I loathe this book so much... I was an English major in college. I have a master's degree in English literature. I love books! This book is the only novel I have ever read that put me to sleep. I could not get involved in the action. Conrad's verbose English diction and excessively correct grammar infuriated me. His style frustrated me, his plot was essentially non-existent, and I hated the characters. I had no empathy for them, I had no desire to read it, and plogging through it killed brain cells.
I admit that I read this in high school- it is entirely possible that I would reject it less now that I am more attuned with Conrad's purpose. I don't particularly care. If I have to hate one author, one book, with a passion? This is it!
Nothing made me happier than the tragic ending.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2018
This is the classic tale of redemption - a man, running from himself for a momentary act of cowardice which brings lasting shame, atones for it in the depths of the Eastern jungles. Brilliantly plotted and beautifully written - only the undertone of white supremacy strikes a sour note sometimes.
January 4, 2019
Για όσους δεν έχουν έρθει σε επαφή με το έργο του, να ξεκαθαρίσω πως ο Κόνραντ δεν γράφει θαλασσινές περιπέτειες μήτε περιπετειώδη μυθιστορήματα που θα συνοδεύσουν τον αναγνώστη στην παραλία. Ο Κόνραντ περιβάλλει εντέχνως το έργο του με ένα πρώτο επίπεδο δράσης, προκειμένου να συγγράψει αμιγώς υπαρξιακά μυθιστορήματα.
Υπάρχει ένα κοινό μοτίβο στα βιβλία του, το οποίο επαναλαμβάνεται και αποτελεί το σήμα κατατεθέν του: Ο ήρωάς του αδυνατεί να συνδεθεί με τον εαυτό του, με τους άλλους, με τον κόσμο γύρω του. Εκεί που άλλοι συγγραφείς εκείνης της εποχής αναζητούν και συχνά βρίσκουν για τους ήρωές τους τη λύτρωση σε κάποια ιδέα, σε κάποια μεταφυσική και μη αρχή, στην αδελφότητα των ομοίων, των συναγωνιστών κ.ο.κ., ο Κόνραντ δεν αφήνει τέτοια περιθώρια εφησυχασμού στους χαρακτήρες του.
Δεν υπάρχει διαφυγή από το υπαρξιακό άχθος, καμία έξοδος για τον ήρωα που έχει να αντιμετωπίσει το κενό, την απουσία νοήματος της ζωής, αλλά και την απουσία συγκολλητικής με τους συνανθρώπους του ιδεολογίας και σκοπού. Αν υπάρχει κάποιο κίνητρο, κάποια καθοδηγητική αρχή είναι εκείνης της θέασης του κόσμου εκ του μακρόθεν, της ενσυνείδητης αποχής από τα δρώμενα, από τα οποία όμως διαφυγή δεν υπάρχει. Και το τέλος είναι πάντα αμείλικτο για τον Κονραντικό ήρωα που βλέπει τον έξω κόσμο να κλείνει αμείλικτα σαν βρόχος γύρω του.
Τα προαναφερθέντα θεωρώ πως ισχύουν για τα αριστουργηματικά "Νοστρόμο" και "Καρδιά του σκότους" (δικαίως βρίσκονται σε κάθε λίστα που σέβεται τον εαυτό της) όσο και για τον "Λόρδο Τζιμ" - ένα εξίσου εμβληματικό κείμενο, ενδεικτικό της δαιμονικής γραφής του Κόνραντ, αν και δεν αποτελεί την προσωπική κορυφαία επιλογή μου από τη βιβλιογραφία του (μην ξεχνάμε και τα εξαιρετικά "Νίκη" και "Με τα μάτια ενός δυτικού").
Εξηγούμαι: Είμαι λάτρης του ύφους του, αλλά σε αυτό το έργο πιστεύω πως η βασική ιδέα την οποία εξελίσσει, θα ήταν προτιμότερη υπό μορφή νουβέλας και όχι μεγάλης έκτασης μυθιστορήματος. Είχα συχνά την αίσθηση πως κάναμε αέναους κύκλους γύρω από το κεντρικό θέμα των ενοχών του κεντρικού ήρωα, έως ότου οδηγηθούμε στο αναπόφευκτο τέλος. Το αποτέλεσμα είναι ένα αίσθημα κόπωσης σε σημεία, κάτι που σπανιότατα έχω μέχρι στιγμής νιώσει σε βιβλία του συγγραφέα.
Γεγονός παραμένει πως ακόμα και στις πιο αδύναμες στιγμές του (αν το εν λόγω βιβλίο μπορεί να θεωρηθεί τέτοιο), ο Κόνραντ παραμένει υπόδειγμα αφηγητή.
Υπάρχει ένα κοινό μοτίβο στα βιβλία του, το οποίο επαναλαμβάνεται και αποτελεί το σήμα κατατεθέν του: Ο ήρωάς του αδυνατεί να συνδεθεί με τον εαυτό του, με τους άλλους, με τον κόσμο γύρω του. Εκεί που άλλοι συγγραφείς εκείνης της εποχής αναζητούν και συχνά βρίσκουν για τους ήρωές τους τη λύτρωση σε κάποια ιδέα, σε κάποια μεταφυσική και μη αρχή, στην αδελφότητα των ομοίων, των συναγωνιστών κ.ο.κ., ο Κόνραντ δεν αφήνει τέτοια περιθώρια εφησυχασμού στους χαρακτήρες του.
Δεν υπάρχει διαφυγή από το υπαρξιακό άχθος, καμία έξοδος για τον ήρωα που έχει να αντιμετωπίσει το κενό, την απουσία νοήματος της ζωής, αλλά και την απουσία συγκολλητικής με τους συνανθρώπους του ιδεολογίας και σκοπού. Αν υπάρχει κάποιο κίνητρο, κάποια καθοδηγητική αρχή είναι εκείνης της θέασης του κόσμου εκ του μακρόθεν, της ενσυνείδητης αποχής από τα δρώμενα, από τα οποία όμως διαφυγή δεν υπάρχει. Και το τέλος είναι πάντα αμείλικτο για τον Κονραντικό ήρωα που βλέπει τον έξω κόσμο να κλείνει αμείλικτα σαν βρόχος γύρω του.
Τα προαναφερθέντα θεωρώ πως ισχύουν για τα αριστουργηματικά "Νοστρόμο" και "Καρδιά του σκότους" (δικαίως βρίσκονται σε κάθε λίστα που σέβεται τον εαυτό της) όσο και για τον "Λόρδο Τζιμ" - ένα εξίσου εμβληματικό κείμενο, ενδεικτικό της δαιμονικής γραφής του Κόνραντ, αν και δεν αποτελεί την προσωπική κορυφαία επιλογή μου από τη βιβλιογραφία του (μην ξεχνάμε και τα εξαιρετικά "Νίκη" και "Με τα μάτια ενός δυτικού").
Εξηγούμαι: Είμαι λάτρης του ύφους του, αλλά σε αυτό το έργο πιστεύω πως η βασική ιδέα την οποία εξελίσσει, θα ήταν προτιμότερη υπό μορφή νουβέλας και όχι μεγάλης έκτασης μυθιστορήματος. Είχα συχνά την αίσθηση πως κάναμε αέναους κύκλους γύρω από το κεντρικό θέμα των ενοχών του κεντρικού ήρωα, έως ότου οδηγηθούμε στο αναπόφευκτο τέλος. Το αποτέλεσμα είναι ένα αίσθημα κόπωσης σε σημεία, κάτι που σπανιότατα έχω μέχρι στιγμής νιώσει σε βιβλία του συγγραφέα.
Γεγονός παραμένει πως ακόμα και στις πιο αδύναμες στιγμές του (αν το εν λόγω βιβλίο μπορεί να θεωρηθεί τέτοιο), ο Κόνραντ παραμένει υπόδειγμα αφηγητή.
August 13, 2015
Finally, an answer to my question "what novel contains the phrase a sinister pantaloon?"
Objectively speaking, I didn't enjoy this read. But also speaking objectively, I appreciate the way this book sits on the cusp of the transition from 19th-century adventure writing to 20th century modernism. An omniscient narrator tells the story of first mate Jim abandoning his ship full of Muslim pilgrims. Then Conrad inserts his favorite narrator Marlow, who picks up the story of the rest of Jim's life, his self-exile. I didn't realize Conrad was friends with Ford Madox Ford, but I thought as I was reading of the way Ford constructs narratives and shifts points of view.
January 10, 2012
I don’t know if there has ever been an out and out study of Conrad’s influence on T.S. Eliot, but I couldn’t help but feel, while reading Lord Jim that the influence goes beyond the footnote. The most famous is of course Eliot’s epigram from Heart of Darkness (“Mistah Kurtz -- he dead.”). (Lesser known is another Heart of Darkness epigram – before Pound waved it off – that got things rolling in “The Wasteland.”) However, buried deeper in the “Hollow Men” are the lines “Between the idea / And the Reality…/ Falls the Shadow.” These lines, which could come from a number of places (knowing Eliot) are so central to Lord Jim, and stated so prominently, that I’m certain Eliot had a copy squirreled away somewhere.
Jim is a romantic (much like Conrad must have been) who has dreams of the sea, and heroic ideas about himself. The “realities” Jim encounters will soon wreck these fixed assumptions, but Jim never abandons or adjusts his ideas regarding duty and obligation. No one is harder on Jim than Jim himself. This moral dilemma is pure Conrad, the kind of thing one encounters in a number of his stories and novels. Jim, in many ways, might be the perfect crystallization, in a character, of this dilemma (though an argument could be made for the darker Nostromo). Jim is Conrad’s flawed angel of light, his Billy Budd. It’s clear Conrad has much invested in him, so much so that plot mechanics seem secondary to the character. In fact, in my edition, before the start of the novel, Conrad says that, while believing an author should not favor (in public at least) one book more than another, he is not “grieved and annoyed by the preference some people give to my Lord Jim.” This is probably because Jim is the closest we will get to Conrad (who, as a young man, would attempt suicide) himself. Jim’s not a suicide, but he does want to lose himself after the shame of abandoning a ship full of pilgrims. This shame, this failure, creates an unbridgeable gulf in Jim. The resulting trial catches the eye of Marlow, who narrates Jim’s story.
But to say “narrates” is as simplistic as it gets. The storytelling weaves in and out, not following a linear path. Events are concealed or only partially revealed to the reader, as Marlow backs up, remembers, speculates, etc. All of this can get quite annoying – if you let it. For me, Conrad is a writer you should read aloud. He casts a spell, and at his best (and I would put Lord Jim among Conrad’s best), it’s a spell that will last. Little moments, such as a conversation with a French Lieutenant regarding Jim, struck me as modernist writing at its very best, pregnant with meaning, dense, in both image and word, as a poem. And yet, for all the misty musings, Conrad can be a writer of action. There are few writers I know that can so successfully muse over the tragic nature of man, and then write about shotgun duels on the beach. If you like that kind of range in your reading, Conrad’s your man.
Jim is a romantic (much like Conrad must have been) who has dreams of the sea, and heroic ideas about himself. The “realities” Jim encounters will soon wreck these fixed assumptions, but Jim never abandons or adjusts his ideas regarding duty and obligation. No one is harder on Jim than Jim himself. This moral dilemma is pure Conrad, the kind of thing one encounters in a number of his stories and novels. Jim, in many ways, might be the perfect crystallization, in a character, of this dilemma (though an argument could be made for the darker Nostromo). Jim is Conrad’s flawed angel of light, his Billy Budd. It’s clear Conrad has much invested in him, so much so that plot mechanics seem secondary to the character. In fact, in my edition, before the start of the novel, Conrad says that, while believing an author should not favor (in public at least) one book more than another, he is not “grieved and annoyed by the preference some people give to my Lord Jim.” This is probably because Jim is the closest we will get to Conrad (who, as a young man, would attempt suicide) himself. Jim’s not a suicide, but he does want to lose himself after the shame of abandoning a ship full of pilgrims. This shame, this failure, creates an unbridgeable gulf in Jim. The resulting trial catches the eye of Marlow, who narrates Jim’s story.
But to say “narrates” is as simplistic as it gets. The storytelling weaves in and out, not following a linear path. Events are concealed or only partially revealed to the reader, as Marlow backs up, remembers, speculates, etc. All of this can get quite annoying – if you let it. For me, Conrad is a writer you should read aloud. He casts a spell, and at his best (and I would put Lord Jim among Conrad’s best), it’s a spell that will last. Little moments, such as a conversation with a French Lieutenant regarding Jim, struck me as modernist writing at its very best, pregnant with meaning, dense, in both image and word, as a poem. And yet, for all the misty musings, Conrad can be a writer of action. There are few writers I know that can so successfully muse over the tragic nature of man, and then write about shotgun duels on the beach. If you like that kind of range in your reading, Conrad’s your man.
March 3, 2012
The first half of this book is heavy work, Conrad throws a lot at you without a lot of dialogue to break it up. A very psychological novel based on the internal conflicts and consequences of past actions; in this case, the staff abandonment of a ship believed to be sinking with hundreds of ethnic travellers aboard.
This is told from various viewpoints, with each character having immense development and all trying to come to terms with their own inner debacles and problems.
You`re going to find that this novel takes a lot of concentration and time to get through, I certainly would not recommend reading it somewhere where you could easily be distracted.
I felt empathy for Jim, prior to any catastrophe occurring it is so easy for us to believe that we could do any heroic deed necessary to overcome a calamity or thread, like grandeur. The truth is however, that we instinctively as humans recoil from the threat of danger, especially when life-threatening. Self-preservation often prevails. In the aftermath, especially in the eyes of those who were not at the event, it can easily be seen as cowardice but unless they were in a very similar situation, how can they be in a position to judge?
I myself am often an outgoing and confident individual, it is a part of who I am. However, at times when I have shied away from particular instances, afterwards I cannot help but feel resentment towards myself. I cannot wonder how I would have acted if I was in Jim`s shoes.
Anyways, going off on a bit of a tangent here, I hate reviewing books.
In summation, a great tale of redemption with such an immense amount of content readily available to be analysed, coinciding with great quality prose by Conrad that it is more than understandable why this book has been labelled one of the best books ever written.
One last note, cannot emphasise the importance of comparing this to Heart of Darkness. Both written almost literally together, featuring similar ethical and individual dilemmas and the same narrator!
Oh yeah, and Conrad was the best at writing sea-faring stories. Sorry AMERICA!
This is told from various viewpoints, with each character having immense development and all trying to come to terms with their own inner debacles and problems.
You`re going to find that this novel takes a lot of concentration and time to get through, I certainly would not recommend reading it somewhere where you could easily be distracted.
I felt empathy for Jim, prior to any catastrophe occurring it is so easy for us to believe that we could do any heroic deed necessary to overcome a calamity or thread, like grandeur. The truth is however, that we instinctively as humans recoil from the threat of danger, especially when life-threatening. Self-preservation often prevails. In the aftermath, especially in the eyes of those who were not at the event, it can easily be seen as cowardice but unless they were in a very similar situation, how can they be in a position to judge?
I myself am often an outgoing and confident individual, it is a part of who I am. However, at times when I have shied away from particular instances, afterwards I cannot help but feel resentment towards myself. I cannot wonder how I would have acted if I was in Jim`s shoes.
Anyways, going off on a bit of a tangent here, I hate reviewing books.
In summation, a great tale of redemption with such an immense amount of content readily available to be analysed, coinciding with great quality prose by Conrad that it is more than understandable why this book has been labelled one of the best books ever written.
One last note, cannot emphasise the importance of comparing this to Heart of Darkness. Both written almost literally together, featuring similar ethical and individual dilemmas and the same narrator!
Oh yeah, and Conrad was the best at writing sea-faring stories. Sorry AMERICA!
May 23, 2023
I don't know why but ‘Lord Jim’ by Joseph Conrad somehow echoes Star Wars. Same mythic quality, same romantic dreaming of quest hopefulness and testing of one's mettle until something really bad happens and naive inexperience gives way to heartrending reality. But Star Wars goes on to space opera where ‘Lord Jim’ is more of a singular man's destiny.
Star Wars does not possess any moral uncertainties, but Lord Jim accurately reflects the real-life play of moral decisions made on the fly that destroy or uplift a person in the eyes of society after the fact. Lord Jim cannot be a hero or villain in his own eyes until society makes the call, yet Jim has a peculiar internal moral guide that is a more difficult master to satisfy. A terrifying lack of self-forgiveness sets Jim on a unique adventure of finding redemption on a literal clean slate, a reinvented do-over that completely wipes out the previous universe where he so totally messed up. It's as if the clean cut, upright handsome blond appearance of a 21-year old Jim forced him to be driven not only to clear himself with the world but it had to be an epic toxic cleansing of soul scrubbing.
The usual fear of death in all human beings is underlying Jim's destiny yet never overt. Conrad mentions again and again how much Jim's physical appearance affects how people see his behavior. His youth is very important to the story yet like death only hinted at periodically as a logical excuse for him which no one allows him especially himself.
The act of defining oneself within the imposed standards and limits of society, any society in the world, is a tough business and deadly serious if one is a friendless outsider. The soundness of a man can be the key to it all. At least that seems to be main of the interesting themes Conrad explores in Lord Jim.
Star Wars does not possess any moral uncertainties, but Lord Jim accurately reflects the real-life play of moral decisions made on the fly that destroy or uplift a person in the eyes of society after the fact. Lord Jim cannot be a hero or villain in his own eyes until society makes the call, yet Jim has a peculiar internal moral guide that is a more difficult master to satisfy. A terrifying lack of self-forgiveness sets Jim on a unique adventure of finding redemption on a literal clean slate, a reinvented do-over that completely wipes out the previous universe where he so totally messed up. It's as if the clean cut, upright handsome blond appearance of a 21-year old Jim forced him to be driven not only to clear himself with the world but it had to be an epic toxic cleansing of soul scrubbing.
The usual fear of death in all human beings is underlying Jim's destiny yet never overt. Conrad mentions again and again how much Jim's physical appearance affects how people see his behavior. His youth is very important to the story yet like death only hinted at periodically as a logical excuse for him which no one allows him especially himself.
The act of defining oneself within the imposed standards and limits of society, any society in the world, is a tough business and deadly serious if one is a friendless outsider. The soundness of a man can be the key to it all. At least that seems to be main of the interesting themes Conrad explores in Lord Jim.
May 11, 2022
سرشار از شعف گفتم: هیچگاه نشنیده بودم که حشره شناسی چنین بگوید شاهکار! و انسان چطور؟
با چشمانی دوخته بر جعبه شیشه ای گفت: انسان حیرت انگیز است اما شاهکار نیست. شاید آفرینشگر اندکی دیوانه بوده است هان؟ چه فکر می کنی؟ گاهی به نظرم چنین می آید که انسان به جایی آمده که در آن ناخواسته بوده است٫ که در آن برای او جایی نیست. اگر نه چنین٫ خواستن تمام جا از بهر چیست؟ اینسو آنسو دویدن و راه انداختن هیاهو درباره خود٫ گفتگو از ستارگان٫ رنجه کردن نیزه های علف از بهر چیست؟
میان گفته اش دویدم و گفتم: و گرفتن پروانه
لرد جیم
مترجم: طالح حسینی
Joseph Conrad
The Nigger of the Narcissus
کاکا سیاه کشتی نارسیسوس 4.5
Youth ⭐⭐⭐⭐
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Rescue to-read
Heart of Darkness to-read
با چشمانی دوخته بر جعبه شیشه ای گفت: انسان حیرت انگیز است اما شاهکار نیست. شاید آفرینشگر اندکی دیوانه بوده است هان؟ چه فکر می کنی؟ گاهی به نظرم چنین می آید که انسان به جایی آمده که در آن ناخواسته بوده است٫ که در آن برای او جایی نیست. اگر نه چنین٫ خواستن تمام جا از بهر چیست؟ اینسو آنسو دویدن و راه انداختن هیاهو درباره خود٫ گفتگو از ستارگان٫ رنجه کردن نیزه های علف از بهر چیست؟
میان گفته اش دویدم و گفتم: و گرفتن پروانه
لرد جیم
مترجم: طالح حسینی
Joseph Conrad
The Nigger of the Narcissus
کاکا سیاه کشتی نارسیسوس 4.5
Youth ⭐⭐⭐⭐
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Rescue to-read
Heart of Darkness to-read
November 21, 2017
Redemption in the Tropics
Often found in college English curricula, LORD JIM has been reviewed a huge number of times. I doubt if I can say anything entirely original. Jim is a young Englishman serving as a mate on a rust-bucket of a ship plying between Asia and Arabia, delivering pilgrims to the haj. The ship hits something mid-ocean. The five white officers, realizing the poor condition of their vessel, panic and abandon ship. One dies of a heart attack in the process. The other four are picked up and brought to Aden where they learn that the ship had not sunk. They are tried for cowardice and "behavior unbecoming..." and their sailor's papers are taken away. The story is narrated, over a period of time, by a man named Marlow, who believes that Jim had acted without thought, without gathering his mental resources as it were, and was capable of far better despite this momentary lapse. He follows Jim over the years and relates the events of Jim's life. The young sailor runs from port to port, escaping his past, before arriving as a trader and agent in a forgotten (and fictitious) Indonesian port. He takes over as virtual leader of a jungle rajadom, balancing the forces of Malay ruler and Bugis immigrant power, earning the love of the common people, protecting them from outside chaos. At last a boatload of criminal renegades of many races turns up--the scum of the seas, as the term goes---and Jim faces the resulting crisis. Not wishing to give everything away, I will not continue with the story, but suffice to say that Jim redeems himself. A Christ-like figure, he takes responsibility for the sins of others, as well as owns up to his own mistake. If this book is about anything, it is about the possibility of redemption. Maybe Jim should have forgotten about his past as he struggled around the ports of Asia before winding up in Patusan, but Conrad constructs another of his deep psychological studies; this one of a man haunted by his past. Jim cannot rid himself of the guilt over his previous behavior. Thus, his final act is the one most necessary to achieve final redemption.
LORD JIM is a classic novel for a good reason. It is constructed magnificently. Description, tension, plot, and important ideas about human nature all play their parts. Though Conrad's verbosity may wear on modern readers---he never says anything in five words if he can use fifty---there will be no doubt in your mind that Conrad was one of the greatest writers in the English language.
Often found in college English curricula, LORD JIM has been reviewed a huge number of times. I doubt if I can say anything entirely original. Jim is a young Englishman serving as a mate on a rust-bucket of a ship plying between Asia and Arabia, delivering pilgrims to the haj. The ship hits something mid-ocean. The five white officers, realizing the poor condition of their vessel, panic and abandon ship. One dies of a heart attack in the process. The other four are picked up and brought to Aden where they learn that the ship had not sunk. They are tried for cowardice and "behavior unbecoming..." and their sailor's papers are taken away. The story is narrated, over a period of time, by a man named Marlow, who believes that Jim had acted without thought, without gathering his mental resources as it were, and was capable of far better despite this momentary lapse. He follows Jim over the years and relates the events of Jim's life. The young sailor runs from port to port, escaping his past, before arriving as a trader and agent in a forgotten (and fictitious) Indonesian port. He takes over as virtual leader of a jungle rajadom, balancing the forces of Malay ruler and Bugis immigrant power, earning the love of the common people, protecting them from outside chaos. At last a boatload of criminal renegades of many races turns up--the scum of the seas, as the term goes---and Jim faces the resulting crisis. Not wishing to give everything away, I will not continue with the story, but suffice to say that Jim redeems himself. A Christ-like figure, he takes responsibility for the sins of others, as well as owns up to his own mistake. If this book is about anything, it is about the possibility of redemption. Maybe Jim should have forgotten about his past as he struggled around the ports of Asia before winding up in Patusan, but Conrad constructs another of his deep psychological studies; this one of a man haunted by his past. Jim cannot rid himself of the guilt over his previous behavior. Thus, his final act is the one most necessary to achieve final redemption.
LORD JIM is a classic novel for a good reason. It is constructed magnificently. Description, tension, plot, and important ideas about human nature all play their parts. Though Conrad's verbosity may wear on modern readers---he never says anything in five words if he can use fifty---there will be no doubt in your mind that Conrad was one of the greatest writers in the English language.
March 24, 2023
Conrad is an amazing writer for many different reasons. His irreverent lack of attention to chronological narration comes close to replicating actual human memory. His ability to delineate the salient features of even minor characters with startling detail and real insight is uncanny. His ability to write long adjective-filled sentences which get closer and closer to something ineffable he is trying to describe often takes one’s breath away. He used his considerable experience as a merchant seaman going around the world at the height of the European extension of imperialist powers to provide a real insight into the motivations of empire and race. His psychological understanding of variant human characters, motivations, emotional constructs and aspirational strengths and weaknesses shows real insight into the human condition. But it is his analysis of the situation mankind finds itself in: that is, into the meaning of life, which is most important.
Conrad’s writing frequently has this yearning to go from the specific to the general. In this novel, when Jim is let off to take a canoe up the river to Patusan and thus begins the second major phase of his life, the natural environment is used to show how Conrad was thinking: Jim had left ‘…the sea with its labouring waves forever rising, sinking, and vanishing to rise again – the very image of struggling mankind – and faced the immutable forests rooted deep in the soil, soaring towards the sunshine, everlasting in the shadowing might of their tradition, like life itself.’
Prior to the pivotal disappointment in himself which occurred on the Patna, Jim was still quite young and, as Marlow remembers when he was that age, quite idealistic: ‘There is such a magnificent vagueness in the expectations that had driven us both to sea, such a glorious indefiniteness, such a beautiful greed of adventures that are their own and only reward!’
Unfortunately, since ‘in no other kind of life is the illusion more wide of reality’, Jim had to come face to face with acute disappointment and abject personal recrimination.
Drifting from port to port for several years, he seeks to find a comfort which was forever eluding him as chance invariably brought up his experience on the Patna and forced him to move on. This happened more than ten times, and Marlow observes that each of these attempts ‘were equally tinged by a high-minded absurdity of intention which made their futility profound and touching.’ Jim had yet to realize Marlow’s realization that ‘the wisdom of life … consists in putting out of our sight all reminders of your folly’. Real human contact in order to assuage one’s moral pain is impossible, since ‘it is as if loneliness were an absolute condition of existence; the envelope of flesh and blood on which our eyes are fixed melts before the outstretched hand.’
Jim also lacked that knack of most people of almost unconsciously accepting the meaningless of all their endeavours since, as Marlow observes, ‘it is extraordinary how we go through life with our eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dismal thoughts. Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.’
What about love? There was a woman in Patusan, but Marlow bitterly comments that in this case, as in others, it amounted to ‘stories of opportunities: episodes of passion at best, or perhaps only of youth and temptation, doomed to forgetfulness in the end, even if they pass through the reality of tenderness and regret’. Not very uplifting. Though they became very close, ‘There was nothing light-hearted in their romance; they came together under the shadow of a life’s disaster, like a knight and maiden meeting to exchange vows among haunted ruins.’
Jim’s fate is both totally irrational in its workings and absolutely inescapable in its finality. The manner in which Cornelius twisted the psychopathic Brown into his senseless yet murderous action was as unforeseen as was Jim’s grim journey from his hut to Doramin’s stockade to give himself up for, as Marlow put it, ‘The dark powers should not rob him twice of his peace.’
As idealistic and romantic as humans can be, fate precludes any real chance at any final contentment or satisfaction. The best we can hope for is to go ‘through life with our eyes half shut’. One can see Conrad penning this work over a century ago with a wistful, resigned countenance, sadly shaking his head as he recognizes the limits of all human ambition.
Highly recommended.
Previous review:
After working on ships for many years, Conrad retired to England and became one of the quintessential novelists of his (or of any) time. What he observed during those years at sea was a world at the highest peak of imperialist expansion and racial subjugation. The western European nations basically took over virtually all the rest of the world, exterminating aboriginal races and essentially enslaving native ones within the confines of their economic and political structures. They didn't see themselves as conquering heroes riding to power, but rather as leading lights who were destined to bring the backward peoples of the world into the true dawn of civilization. It was all for their own good. And it was a duty assumed on the basis of the fact that they were white, male, Christian and most commonly, English. Kipling's poem The White Man's Burden aptly summarizes this concept of noble self-sacrifice which these dominating but myopic racists saw when they looked in the mirror.
But what Conrad saw when confronted with this archetype were ordinary men: weak, self-conscious, ambitious but ultimately flawed. As Marlowe says of Jim repeatedly throughout this work: 'He was one of us'. He was white. He was Christian. He was male. He was English. Thus, he was destined to go out and rule the world.
Jim's fatal jump off the Patna puts paid to this archetype, and the novel as a whole describes the attempt of the idealistic paragon of the vision to re-connect with the deeply flawed nature of the individual. In other words, can a human face be found under the trappings of imperialistic rule? That the Malay tribesmen regard him as 'Tuan' Jim (i.e., Lord Jim) by the end is one of the most impressive plot constructions designed to show redemption of character I've ever read.
But it is a personal, not a cultural redemption. With every debacle like Vietnam or Afghanistan, western powers are shown to be just like Jim: inherently flawed and thus, more intensely human.
The colour of one's skin, one's faith, one's language and one's nationality only makes one different. It does not make one either worse or better. It is a testament to his insight that Conrad saw this while imperialism was at its height. Critics who call him a racist and/or an apologist for imperialism have never truly thought about his characterizations of Jim, of Kurtz and of Almayer.
Highly recommended.
Conrad’s writing frequently has this yearning to go from the specific to the general. In this novel, when Jim is let off to take a canoe up the river to Patusan and thus begins the second major phase of his life, the natural environment is used to show how Conrad was thinking: Jim had left ‘…the sea with its labouring waves forever rising, sinking, and vanishing to rise again – the very image of struggling mankind – and faced the immutable forests rooted deep in the soil, soaring towards the sunshine, everlasting in the shadowing might of their tradition, like life itself.’
Prior to the pivotal disappointment in himself which occurred on the Patna, Jim was still quite young and, as Marlow remembers when he was that age, quite idealistic: ‘There is such a magnificent vagueness in the expectations that had driven us both to sea, such a glorious indefiniteness, such a beautiful greed of adventures that are their own and only reward!’
Unfortunately, since ‘in no other kind of life is the illusion more wide of reality’, Jim had to come face to face with acute disappointment and abject personal recrimination.
Drifting from port to port for several years, he seeks to find a comfort which was forever eluding him as chance invariably brought up his experience on the Patna and forced him to move on. This happened more than ten times, and Marlow observes that each of these attempts ‘were equally tinged by a high-minded absurdity of intention which made their futility profound and touching.’ Jim had yet to realize Marlow’s realization that ‘the wisdom of life … consists in putting out of our sight all reminders of your folly’. Real human contact in order to assuage one’s moral pain is impossible, since ‘it is as if loneliness were an absolute condition of existence; the envelope of flesh and blood on which our eyes are fixed melts before the outstretched hand.’
Jim also lacked that knack of most people of almost unconsciously accepting the meaningless of all their endeavours since, as Marlow observes, ‘it is extraordinary how we go through life with our eyes half shut, with dull ears, with dismal thoughts. Perhaps it’s just as well; and it may be that it is this very dullness that makes life to the incalculable majority so supportable and so welcome.’
What about love? There was a woman in Patusan, but Marlow bitterly comments that in this case, as in others, it amounted to ‘stories of opportunities: episodes of passion at best, or perhaps only of youth and temptation, doomed to forgetfulness in the end, even if they pass through the reality of tenderness and regret’. Not very uplifting. Though they became very close, ‘There was nothing light-hearted in their romance; they came together under the shadow of a life’s disaster, like a knight and maiden meeting to exchange vows among haunted ruins.’
Jim’s fate is both totally irrational in its workings and absolutely inescapable in its finality. The manner in which Cornelius twisted the psychopathic Brown into his senseless yet murderous action was as unforeseen as was Jim’s grim journey from his hut to Doramin’s stockade to give himself up for, as Marlow put it, ‘The dark powers should not rob him twice of his peace.’
As idealistic and romantic as humans can be, fate precludes any real chance at any final contentment or satisfaction. The best we can hope for is to go ‘through life with our eyes half shut’. One can see Conrad penning this work over a century ago with a wistful, resigned countenance, sadly shaking his head as he recognizes the limits of all human ambition.
Highly recommended.
Previous review:
After working on ships for many years, Conrad retired to England and became one of the quintessential novelists of his (or of any) time. What he observed during those years at sea was a world at the highest peak of imperialist expansion and racial subjugation. The western European nations basically took over virtually all the rest of the world, exterminating aboriginal races and essentially enslaving native ones within the confines of their economic and political structures. They didn't see themselves as conquering heroes riding to power, but rather as leading lights who were destined to bring the backward peoples of the world into the true dawn of civilization. It was all for their own good. And it was a duty assumed on the basis of the fact that they were white, male, Christian and most commonly, English. Kipling's poem The White Man's Burden aptly summarizes this concept of noble self-sacrifice which these dominating but myopic racists saw when they looked in the mirror.
But what Conrad saw when confronted with this archetype were ordinary men: weak, self-conscious, ambitious but ultimately flawed. As Marlowe says of Jim repeatedly throughout this work: 'He was one of us'. He was white. He was Christian. He was male. He was English. Thus, he was destined to go out and rule the world.
Jim's fatal jump off the Patna puts paid to this archetype, and the novel as a whole describes the attempt of the idealistic paragon of the vision to re-connect with the deeply flawed nature of the individual. In other words, can a human face be found under the trappings of imperialistic rule? That the Malay tribesmen regard him as 'Tuan' Jim (i.e., Lord Jim) by the end is one of the most impressive plot constructions designed to show redemption of character I've ever read.
But it is a personal, not a cultural redemption. With every debacle like Vietnam or Afghanistan, western powers are shown to be just like Jim: inherently flawed and thus, more intensely human.
The colour of one's skin, one's faith, one's language and one's nationality only makes one different. It does not make one either worse or better. It is a testament to his insight that Conrad saw this while imperialism was at its height. Critics who call him a racist and/or an apologist for imperialism have never truly thought about his characterizations of Jim, of Kurtz and of Almayer.
Highly recommended.
September 19, 2019
E’ uno dei romanzi migliori di Conrad. Forse il più importante. Per quanto mi riguarda lo è di sicuro: mi traghettò a suo tempo, praticamente bambino, verso le letture dell’età adulta senza che neppure me ne accorgessi. E il personaggio di Tuan Jim è rimasto per me il paradigma di un certo modo di essere uomo, esemplare ed emblematico. Ritorna nei miei pensieri come un amico e periodicamente, da decenni, anche nelle mie riletture.
Lord Jim è il racconto di una grande fuga. Una fuga impossibile. Jim fugge per tutta la vita dall’immagine di sé che vedeva riflessa negli occhi degli altri, per via di un disastro in mare che alla fine era stato tale solo per lui. Una ossessione dalla quale non si libererà mai. Fugge fino a riuscire a mettersi fuori dal mondo civile, in una sorta di altrove isolato e irraggiungibile, dove ha l'illusione di essersi finalmente costruita un’immagine che rispondeva al proprio ideale di sé.
Ed è lì lo raggiunge il Male. Il male quello vero e non un immagine riflessa. Il male del mondo con le sembianze di un uomo, dell'Altro in carne ed ossa. “Quell’uomo era uno degli emissari con i quali il mondo cui aveva rinunciato l’inseguiva nel suo rifugio – uomini bianchi di quel dove lui non era considerato degno di vivere”.
Al centro di tutto la riflessione sulla vergogna e sul labile confine che la separa dall’onore e dal successo, dalla piena realizzazione di sè. Un confine lungo il quale imperversano e scorrazzano la necessità, il caso o il destino, l’umana debolezza, la paura, l’incombere che tutti avvertiamo di un mistero, di un abisso. Il vizio e la grandezza di questo gigantesco personaggio sta nel riconoscere nel male qualcosa che appartiene anche lui, “inquietante allusione a una possibile colpa comune, a una conoscenza segreta, legame delle loro menti e dei loro cuori”.
Tutti legati da una forza oscura e misteriosa, imperscrutabile per tutti. “Erano Malvagi, ma anche il destino era stato malvagio con loro”.
Chi è interessato a Lord Jim, a questi temi e a Conrad qui trova qualcosa in più
https://scarabooks.blogspot.com/2019/...
Lord Jim è il racconto di una grande fuga. Una fuga impossibile. Jim fugge per tutta la vita dall’immagine di sé che vedeva riflessa negli occhi degli altri, per via di un disastro in mare che alla fine era stato tale solo per lui. Una ossessione dalla quale non si libererà mai. Fugge fino a riuscire a mettersi fuori dal mondo civile, in una sorta di altrove isolato e irraggiungibile, dove ha l'illusione di essersi finalmente costruita un’immagine che rispondeva al proprio ideale di sé.
Ed è lì lo raggiunge il Male. Il male quello vero e non un immagine riflessa. Il male del mondo con le sembianze di un uomo, dell'Altro in carne ed ossa. “Quell’uomo era uno degli emissari con i quali il mondo cui aveva rinunciato l’inseguiva nel suo rifugio – uomini bianchi di quel dove lui non era considerato degno di vivere”.
Al centro di tutto la riflessione sulla vergogna e sul labile confine che la separa dall’onore e dal successo, dalla piena realizzazione di sè. Un confine lungo il quale imperversano e scorrazzano la necessità, il caso o il destino, l’umana debolezza, la paura, l’incombere che tutti avvertiamo di un mistero, di un abisso. Il vizio e la grandezza di questo gigantesco personaggio sta nel riconoscere nel male qualcosa che appartiene anche lui, “inquietante allusione a una possibile colpa comune, a una conoscenza segreta, legame delle loro menti e dei loro cuori”.
Tutti legati da una forza oscura e misteriosa, imperscrutabile per tutti. “Erano Malvagi, ma anche il destino era stato malvagio con loro”.
Chi è interessato a Lord Jim, a questi temi e a Conrad qui trova qualcosa in più
https://scarabooks.blogspot.com/2019/...
March 4, 2024
Conrad schreibt mit Lord Jim ein komplexes und forderndes Monstrum der Synthese aus "psychologischem Realismus" und "philosophischer Romantik"
Die Figur Jims repräsentiert die Romantik. Er wird mehrfach im Buch als romantisch bezeichnet.
Zu Beginn des Buches träumt er von heroischen Taten, bis er auf der Patna daran scheitert – dem harten Realismus. Die Romantisierung Jims, übernimmt im Folgenden Marlow, der als Erzählinstanz auftritt.
Er stellt Die poetische Lebensfom, Jim, in den Mittelpunkt. Ist wie besessen von ihm.
„Ich wurde gezwungen, einen Blick auf das stillschweigende Übereinkommen zu tun, das hinter aller Wahrheit steckt, und auf die innere Lauterkeit des Falschen. Er wandte sich an alle Seiten zugleich– an die Seite, die ständig dem Tageslicht zugewendet ist, wie an jene andere in uns, die, gleich der zweiten Mondhälfte, in ewigem Dunkel liegt und nur manchmal am Rande von einem fahlen, unheimlichen Licht gestreift wird. Er beherrschte mich.
Er löst Jim in seiner formalen Konzeption auf. Der Charakter wirkt wie eine Improvisation. Conrad legt dies völlig verwirrend durch die Struktur des Textes an. Perspektiven wechseln hin und her. Man weiß oft nicht wer redet. Es kommt schnell zu Verwechslungen. Alles schwimmt und schaukelt, wie auf einem Schiff vor sich hin. Situationen sind uneindeutig, unklar. Erst später enthüllen sich die Versatzstücke der Erzählung.
Hier zwei Zitate zur Definition der Romantik. Na wenn das nicht wie die Faust aufs Auge passt:
“ Steigerung des schöpferischen Ichs ins Universale, Vereinigung von Geist und Natur. Die poetische Lebensform ist ist wichtiger als die Form des Dichtwerks, das stets nur verzehrende Sehnsucht und ewiges Streben sein kann. Daher fehlt vielen Werken in der Romentik die strenge formale Konzeption; sie sind nach oben hin offene Formen → Fragmente, Improvisationen.“ [ F. Schlegels 116. Athenaeum- Fragment zur Romantik]
„Romantik eine Haltung, die eine Perspektive der Idealisierung und Vermittlung einnimmt, die Grenzen zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit verwischt und sich selbst auf eine dynamische, prinzipiell unabschließbare Beziehung zur Unendlichkeit verpflichtet. In philosophischer Hinsicht markiert Romantik vor allem einen Kontrast zu allen Spielarten des empirisch-materialistischen Rationalismus; auf literaturwissenschaftlichem Feld grenzt sie sich von realistischen und klassizistischen Tendenzen ab.“ [Reallexikon der deutschen Literaturwissenschaft]
Der Idealismus Hegels ist zudem sehr präsent in dem Werk.
Das ganze Dilemma beginnt mit dem Sprung – Jim’s Sprung von der Patna.
Dem Verlust seiner Ehre, seines Stolzes und seines Selbstbildes als mutiger und prinzipientreuer Seemann.
Was folgt ist die Suche nach dem eigenen Wert, der Integrität an den eigenen Idealen festzuhalten, egal wie gleichgültig sich der Weltenlauf gegenüber den eigenen Träumen, dem Wunsch nach Erlösung und Wiedergutmachung gebärdet.
Der psychologische Realismus zertrümmert die Romantik:
“Es war, als wären wir rasch in ein geräumiges Grab eingemauert worden. Kein Zusammenhang mit irgend etwas auf Erden. Keine Meinung, die irgendwie in Betracht kam. Es war alles belanglos.“
“Die Welt benötigt ihn nicht, niemand ist gut genug, er ist nicht gut genug“
Jim erlangt seine Zuflucht auf Patusan.
Marlow sinniert folgend darüber: „Zuflucht um Preis der Gefahr. Land das nie existiert habe. Niemand mischt sich ein. Vereinzelung als folge seiner Macht.
Patusan repräsentiert eine Art utopischen Raum, in dem Jim die Möglichkeit erhält, sein Ideal von Heldentum und Ehre zu leben.
Jim kann sich neu erfinden. Die Handlungen in Patusan bleiben möglicherweise ohne Bedeutung für die Welt außerhalb dieses abgeschiedenen Ortes.
Und hier kommt die Psychologie Marlow's voll zum tragen. Diese Einsicht ist für ihn wichtig, nicht für Jim. Jim versucht nur in den Grenzen seines Idealismus zu agieren. Bleibt auf Patusan. Weigert sich zu gehen.
Lord Jim ist gleichzeit das Bespielen der Urangst, als Erzählen gegen das Vergessen (werden).
Marlows "Wahn", sich in Jim's Geschichte hineinzusteigern, könnte als Spiegel seiner eigenen Unsicherheiten, seines Bedürfnisses nach Zugehörigkeit und seines Wunsches, einen dauerhaften Sinn in einer unbeständigen Welt zu finden, gesehen werden.
Dieser Spiegel bricht sich in dieser Unterhaltung mit Stein Bahn:
“Das war der Weg. Dem Traum folgen, und nochmals dem Traum folgen– und so– ewig– usque ad finem...
Insofern hatte er recht. Das war der Weg, ohne Zweifel. Trotzdem lag die große Ebene, auf der die Menschen zwischen Gräbern und Fallstricken umherirren, sehr öde da unter dem linden Schleier des Dämmerlichts, verdunkelt in ihrem Mittelpunkt und von einem grellen Rande umsäumt, als ob ein Flammenabgrund sie umkreiste. In diesem Augenblick war es schwer, an Jims Dasein zu glauben– der aus einem ländlichen Pfarrhaus kam, im menschlichen Getriebe wie hinter Staubwolken untergetaucht, von den über ihm zusammenschlagenden Forderungen des Lebens und des Todes in einer kalten Welt erdrückt schien– doch seine unvergängliche Wirklichkeit drängte sich mir mit überzeugender, mit unwiderstehlicher Macht auf!
Nu ja, und am Ende mischt doch wer ein, egal wie vergessen man lebt und kackt einem nen fetten Haufen auf den Tisch. Der Weltenlauf schaut gleichgültig zu und das Boot sinkt endgültig.
So geschwätzig einige Passagen wirken mögen. Sie verbrennen in der sengenden Hitze dieses existentiellen Meisterwerkes - des Mensch seins.
Die Figur Jims repräsentiert die Romantik. Er wird mehrfach im Buch als romantisch bezeichnet.
Zu Beginn des Buches träumt er von heroischen Taten, bis er auf der Patna daran scheitert – dem harten Realismus. Die Romantisierung Jims, übernimmt im Folgenden Marlow, der als Erzählinstanz auftritt.
Er stellt Die poetische Lebensfom, Jim, in den Mittelpunkt. Ist wie besessen von ihm.
„Ich wurde gezwungen, einen Blick auf das stillschweigende Übereinkommen zu tun, das hinter aller Wahrheit steckt, und auf die innere Lauterkeit des Falschen. Er wandte sich an alle Seiten zugleich– an die Seite, die ständig dem Tageslicht zugewendet ist, wie an jene andere in uns, die, gleich der zweiten Mondhälfte, in ewigem Dunkel liegt und nur manchmal am Rande von einem fahlen, unheimlichen Licht gestreift wird. Er beherrschte mich.
Er löst Jim in seiner formalen Konzeption auf. Der Charakter wirkt wie eine Improvisation. Conrad legt dies völlig verwirrend durch die Struktur des Textes an. Perspektiven wechseln hin und her. Man weiß oft nicht wer redet. Es kommt schnell zu Verwechslungen. Alles schwimmt und schaukelt, wie auf einem Schiff vor sich hin. Situationen sind uneindeutig, unklar. Erst später enthüllen sich die Versatzstücke der Erzählung.
Hier zwei Zitate zur Definition der Romantik. Na wenn das nicht wie die Faust aufs Auge passt:
“ Steigerung des schöpferischen Ichs ins Universale, Vereinigung von Geist und Natur. Die poetische Lebensform ist ist wichtiger als die Form des Dichtwerks, das stets nur verzehrende Sehnsucht und ewiges Streben sein kann. Daher fehlt vielen Werken in der Romentik die strenge formale Konzeption; sie sind nach oben hin offene Formen → Fragmente, Improvisationen.“ [ F. Schlegels 116. Athenaeum- Fragment zur Romantik]
„Romantik eine Haltung, die eine Perspektive der Idealisierung und Vermittlung einnimmt, die Grenzen zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit verwischt und sich selbst auf eine dynamische, prinzipiell unabschließbare Beziehung zur Unendlichkeit verpflichtet. In philosophischer Hinsicht markiert Romantik vor allem einen Kontrast zu allen Spielarten des empirisch-materialistischen Rationalismus; auf literaturwissenschaftlichem Feld grenzt sie sich von realistischen und klassizistischen Tendenzen ab.“ [Reallexikon der deutschen Literaturwissenschaft]
Der Idealismus Hegels ist zudem sehr präsent in dem Werk.
Das ganze Dilemma beginnt mit dem Sprung – Jim’s Sprung von der Patna.
Dem Verlust seiner Ehre, seines Stolzes und seines Selbstbildes als mutiger und prinzipientreuer Seemann.
Was folgt ist die Suche nach dem eigenen Wert, der Integrität an den eigenen Idealen festzuhalten, egal wie gleichgültig sich der Weltenlauf gegenüber den eigenen Träumen, dem Wunsch nach Erlösung und Wiedergutmachung gebärdet.
Der psychologische Realismus zertrümmert die Romantik:
“Es war, als wären wir rasch in ein geräumiges Grab eingemauert worden. Kein Zusammenhang mit irgend etwas auf Erden. Keine Meinung, die irgendwie in Betracht kam. Es war alles belanglos.“
“Die Welt benötigt ihn nicht, niemand ist gut genug, er ist nicht gut genug“
Jim erlangt seine Zuflucht auf Patusan.
Marlow sinniert folgend darüber: „Zuflucht um Preis der Gefahr. Land das nie existiert habe. Niemand mischt sich ein. Vereinzelung als folge seiner Macht.
Patusan repräsentiert eine Art utopischen Raum, in dem Jim die Möglichkeit erhält, sein Ideal von Heldentum und Ehre zu leben.
Jim kann sich neu erfinden. Die Handlungen in Patusan bleiben möglicherweise ohne Bedeutung für die Welt außerhalb dieses abgeschiedenen Ortes.
Und hier kommt die Psychologie Marlow's voll zum tragen. Diese Einsicht ist für ihn wichtig, nicht für Jim. Jim versucht nur in den Grenzen seines Idealismus zu agieren. Bleibt auf Patusan. Weigert sich zu gehen.
Lord Jim ist gleichzeit das Bespielen der Urangst, als Erzählen gegen das Vergessen (werden).
Marlows "Wahn", sich in Jim's Geschichte hineinzusteigern, könnte als Spiegel seiner eigenen Unsicherheiten, seines Bedürfnisses nach Zugehörigkeit und seines Wunsches, einen dauerhaften Sinn in einer unbeständigen Welt zu finden, gesehen werden.
Dieser Spiegel bricht sich in dieser Unterhaltung mit Stein Bahn:
“Das war der Weg. Dem Traum folgen, und nochmals dem Traum folgen– und so– ewig– usque ad finem...
Insofern hatte er recht. Das war der Weg, ohne Zweifel. Trotzdem lag die große Ebene, auf der die Menschen zwischen Gräbern und Fallstricken umherirren, sehr öde da unter dem linden Schleier des Dämmerlichts, verdunkelt in ihrem Mittelpunkt und von einem grellen Rande umsäumt, als ob ein Flammenabgrund sie umkreiste. In diesem Augenblick war es schwer, an Jims Dasein zu glauben– der aus einem ländlichen Pfarrhaus kam, im menschlichen Getriebe wie hinter Staubwolken untergetaucht, von den über ihm zusammenschlagenden Forderungen des Lebens und des Todes in einer kalten Welt erdrückt schien– doch seine unvergängliche Wirklichkeit drängte sich mir mit überzeugender, mit unwiderstehlicher Macht auf!
Nu ja, und am Ende mischt doch wer ein, egal wie vergessen man lebt und kackt einem nen fetten Haufen auf den Tisch. Der Weltenlauf schaut gleichgültig zu und das Boot sinkt endgültig.
So geschwätzig einige Passagen wirken mögen. Sie verbrennen in der sengenden Hitze dieses existentiellen Meisterwerkes - des Mensch seins.
November 2, 2017
«perché è mio convincimento che nessuno comprenda appieno gli abili stratagemmi cui ricorre per sfuggire all’ombra sinistra della conoscenza di sé»
«Sicuramente, in nessun altro mestiere come in quello del mare i cuori di coloro già varati per affogare o per nuotare si protendono così tanto verso il giovane ancora sulla sponda, che guarda con occhi scintillanti il luccichio della vasta superficie, che è soltanto un riflesso dei suoi stessi sguardi pieni di fuoco.»
«Sicuramente, in nessun altro mestiere come in quello del mare i cuori di coloro già varati per affogare o per nuotare si protendono così tanto verso il giovane ancora sulla sponda, che guarda con occhi scintillanti il luccichio della vasta superficie, che è soltanto un riflesso dei suoi stessi sguardi pieni di fuoco.»
January 1, 2017
It is when we try to grapple with another man's intimate need that we perceive how incomprehensible, wavering and misty are the beings that share with us the sight of the stars and the warmth of the sun. It is as if loneliness were a hard and absolute condition of existence; the envelope of flesh and blood on which our eyes are fixed melts before the outstretched hand, and there remains only the capricious, unconsolable and elusive spirit that no eye can follow, no hand can grasp.
November 7, 2020
Dalle labbra dell'amico Marlow apprendiamo la storia di Lord Jim, di una colpa che, sebbene, in apparenza, affrontata con fierezza e coraggio nelle aule di un tribunale e punita secondo giustizia, vede comunque il "peccatore" fuggire da un luogo all'altro non in cerca di redenzione, ma di un luogo in cui dimenticar il proprio disonore. E anche quando il destino sembra rimettere le carte in gioco e concedergli di riviver le circostanze del passato, diversi avvenimenti sopraggiungono a precludergli quest'opportunità (forse) di far pace con i propri demoni. Detto questo, lo considero un romanzo di formazione a metà. Buone le premesse, buono lo snodo narrativo principale, ma Jim rimane un mero fantasma, un personaggio caratterizzato di sfuggita, quasi una sorta di comparsa che non vede quell'approfondimento psicologico e quella crescita (in positivo o in negativo) che forse il romanzo avrebbe dovuto prevedere e che mi sarei aspettato.
October 3, 2018
Running Away from One’s Past
4 October 2018
I remember watching a movie years ago when I didn’t have a job. It was about this guy who was trapped on the island of Borneo during World War II, and became involved with a native village where he ended up becoming king. Things went quite well for a while until the Japanese invaded the island and basically destroyed the village, despite the attempts of the natives to prevent them from doing so. In the end, while this man was still technically king, he had basically become king of nothing. The reason I raise this is because this book reminds me quite a lot of that particular movie.
Lord Jim begins with our protagonist, Jim, as a crewmember on a ship, taking a group of Muslims to Mecca for the Haj. The ship strikes something in the water, which we believe is the wreck of another ship (something that was all too common in those days) and starts taking on water. Now, tradition has it that the passengers should be allowed to escape first, followed by the crew, and finally by the captain. Well, this wasn’t the case here because the crew and the captain all flee leaving the passengers to their fate. Well, the problem was that the ship didn’t end up sinking, and the passengers didn’t end up dying, when the crew were rescued they were in big trouble.
I’m not entirely sure whether this is still the case today, but from the book we gather that this was a particularly big deal at the time Conrad was writing. In a way this was the law of the sea. Sure, some of the ideas were more tradition than they were law, but the thing was is that these duties were in place so that people would be comfortable traveling by sea, which was pretty dangerous as it was, without fear of being deserted by the only people that know anything about piloting a boat. Well, boats are pretty expensive, so I guess there is also that incentive, but when you hear of stories of refugees in modern times being set adrift in the Mediterranean without any guarantee of actually making it to Europe, it does make one wonder of the possibility of being taken for a ride when making a sea voyage.
Well, it seems that the admiralty took this action pretty seriously, especially since the first third of the book actually deals with Jim’s trial. Basically, he is found guilty of misconduct, and is no longer allowed to work on a boat. It is a pretty horrid penalty for somebody whose only skill is working on ships. Mind you, this is still the case today with many professions, particularly for those who are stripped of their privileges for misconduct, though ironically I have known lawyers that still seem to be able to work as lawyers despite the fact that they have been struck off the bar.
Yet these is an element of shame here, because it does not matter where Jim goes, he has been branded as a coward. I guess that is why he ends up on this island in Indonesia, where he becomes a lord. I do wonder whether things like this actually happened in reality – a white person comes across a tribe and decides to live with them, and the tribe, so enamoured by this person’s wisdom, decide to make them king. Apparently the movie I mentioned was a true story, but I can’t remember. This is not the case here, but rather it is Conrad exploring the nature of a man who has lost everything. Yet the story doesn’t end here, because once again the village is under threat. Basically some rouges have found it, and it comes down to the question of whether they loot it or not, and whether Jim lets them go free. Well, he decides to do just that, however his act of mercy really doesn’t produce a change in the men, but then again, it was always going to be a trap.
One interesting thing is that there seemed to be similarities with Heart of Darkness, but then again both books were written around the same time. However, in Lord Jim, we have our protagonist attempting to flee society for different reasons. He has brought shame on himself for his act of cowardice, and all he wants to do is run away. Ironically, one theme that seems to stick is how we simply cannot run away from our past, or from the people that haunt us. Jim and his cohorts thought that maybe, their passengers would die and they would be left free and clear. However, this is not the case, because they survived, and his act of cowardice was discovered. Yet, one could argue that he just followed along with everybody else, yet this is no excuse either – Jim had a choice to make, and he decided to follow along with the others than actually doing the right thing and remaining on board. The thing is that his act caught up with him, and even though he tried to hide on the island, it just seemed, that in the end, the world simply is not big enough.
4 October 2018
I remember watching a movie years ago when I didn’t have a job. It was about this guy who was trapped on the island of Borneo during World War II, and became involved with a native village where he ended up becoming king. Things went quite well for a while until the Japanese invaded the island and basically destroyed the village, despite the attempts of the natives to prevent them from doing so. In the end, while this man was still technically king, he had basically become king of nothing. The reason I raise this is because this book reminds me quite a lot of that particular movie.
Lord Jim begins with our protagonist, Jim, as a crewmember on a ship, taking a group of Muslims to Mecca for the Haj. The ship strikes something in the water, which we believe is the wreck of another ship (something that was all too common in those days) and starts taking on water. Now, tradition has it that the passengers should be allowed to escape first, followed by the crew, and finally by the captain. Well, this wasn’t the case here because the crew and the captain all flee leaving the passengers to their fate. Well, the problem was that the ship didn’t end up sinking, and the passengers didn’t end up dying, when the crew were rescued they were in big trouble.
I’m not entirely sure whether this is still the case today, but from the book we gather that this was a particularly big deal at the time Conrad was writing. In a way this was the law of the sea. Sure, some of the ideas were more tradition than they were law, but the thing was is that these duties were in place so that people would be comfortable traveling by sea, which was pretty dangerous as it was, without fear of being deserted by the only people that know anything about piloting a boat. Well, boats are pretty expensive, so I guess there is also that incentive, but when you hear of stories of refugees in modern times being set adrift in the Mediterranean without any guarantee of actually making it to Europe, it does make one wonder of the possibility of being taken for a ride when making a sea voyage.
Well, it seems that the admiralty took this action pretty seriously, especially since the first third of the book actually deals with Jim’s trial. Basically, he is found guilty of misconduct, and is no longer allowed to work on a boat. It is a pretty horrid penalty for somebody whose only skill is working on ships. Mind you, this is still the case today with many professions, particularly for those who are stripped of their privileges for misconduct, though ironically I have known lawyers that still seem to be able to work as lawyers despite the fact that they have been struck off the bar.
Yet these is an element of shame here, because it does not matter where Jim goes, he has been branded as a coward. I guess that is why he ends up on this island in Indonesia, where he becomes a lord. I do wonder whether things like this actually happened in reality – a white person comes across a tribe and decides to live with them, and the tribe, so enamoured by this person’s wisdom, decide to make them king. Apparently the movie I mentioned was a true story, but I can’t remember. This is not the case here, but rather it is Conrad exploring the nature of a man who has lost everything. Yet the story doesn’t end here, because once again the village is under threat. Basically some rouges have found it, and it comes down to the question of whether they loot it or not, and whether Jim lets them go free. Well, he decides to do just that, however his act of mercy really doesn’t produce a change in the men, but then again, it was always going to be a trap.
One interesting thing is that there seemed to be similarities with Heart of Darkness, but then again both books were written around the same time. However, in Lord Jim, we have our protagonist attempting to flee society for different reasons. He has brought shame on himself for his act of cowardice, and all he wants to do is run away. Ironically, one theme that seems to stick is how we simply cannot run away from our past, or from the people that haunt us. Jim and his cohorts thought that maybe, their passengers would die and they would be left free and clear. However, this is not the case, because they survived, and his act of cowardice was discovered. Yet, one could argue that he just followed along with everybody else, yet this is no excuse either – Jim had a choice to make, and he decided to follow along with the others than actually doing the right thing and remaining on board. The thing is that his act caught up with him, and even though he tried to hide on the island, it just seemed, that in the end, the world simply is not big enough.
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