Published in 1900, Conrad’s
Lord Jim
can in many ways be seen as the first ‘modern’ novel. This important full study of the book, originally published in 1988, emphasizes the outstanding historical and artistic significance of Conrad’s masterpiece.
John Batchelor pursues the ways in which Conrad dramatizes with unprecedented fidelity a relationship between friends and also explores what for Conrad is clearly a central truth about the human condition, namely the inalienable loneliness of man. The book provides a full discussion of the biographical and literary contexts of the novel, making use of the original manuscript and tracing the literary influences and sources of Conrad’s writing. It also considers the novel’s technical innovations, including Conrad’s ‘impressionism’ and its method of dramatization. Further chapters are devoted to a detailed commentary on the text and the book concludes with a study of the novel’s critical reception since its first publication.
This volume will be essential reading for all students of literature and particularly for those with an interest in Conrad’s place in the development of modern fiction.