The Secret Sharer and Other Stories: Norton Critical Edition by Joseph Conrad (review)

W. W. Norton has released its first critical edition of Joseph Conrad's The Secret Sharer and Other Stories, edited by John Peters, and reviewing it presents an opportunity to consider the sea—that great common denominator identifiable in the bulk of Conrad's fiction.

Conrad's stories resemble the sea in both form and function. In bringing together this collection, Peters reveals the ways in which Conrad's stories are crafted, even densely patterned, by the sea. Peters turns to the "Author's Note" of 'Twixt Land and Sea to reveal the narrative design between the four stories featured in the Norton collection. In this brief note, Conrad conveys that his stories derive from the structural perfection of the sea. He refers to "The Secret Sharer" and The Shadow-Line as his "Calm-pieces"; in a partnership of polarity and blending, he describes The Nigger of the "Narcissus" and Typhoon as his "Storm-pieces" (ix). In maintaining the connection and sequencing that Conrad saw among the works, Peters brings to light not only the supreme liaison between the calm and the chaos of the ocean but also a narrative coherence previously unrecognized in Conrad scholarship.

Aside from the sumptuous design of these stories, what makes the Norton Critical Edition valuable to both Conrad scholars and instructors is its supplemental material, which offers a sweeping overview of Conrad criticism, from Conrad's contemporaries up to today's most respected scholars. Peters offers excerpts from Conrad's letters as well as oceanic route maps; ship, sailing, and rigging diagrams; and a useful glossary of nautical terms. The explanatory annotations are thorough, and the prefatory remark is extremely valuable in helping to put Conrad's four stories in conversation with one another.

A variety of recent scholarship energizes the volume. Peters includes entries by Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan, Mark Larabee, Fredric Jameson, Jeremy Hawthorn, Lillian Nayder, and Jakob Lothe, among others. The strength of the criticism comes from its humanism, which accounts for discussions of narrative and identity politics, particularly in relation to race, gender, and empire. The critical pieces speak with assurance to the stories contained within this collection, making it an excellent choice for the classroom.

In discerning the formal pattern of Conrad's narrative design, Peters directs readers to the sea. Having learned of the distinctive pattern of structuring—of calm and storm and the tremendous force that is the natural world—readers are drawn into a relationship with the sea that is understandably complex. The effect of such participation is powerful, for, once part of the pattern, it's nearly impossible to separate oneself from either the personal or the political. As I visited the stories in this collection with renewed interest, I began to think afresh about our collective relationship with the sea—about the ships that sustain global trade and about the cables that traverse the ocean floor and transmit endless amounts of data. I began to think about the ocean of refugees seeking asylum and the sea cemeteries that pay poignant tribute to those who have lost their lives fleeing their war-torn homelands. My thoughts turned to the industrial chemicals and plastics that pollute and destroy our ecosystems, and all of this returned me to Conrad: to thoughts about rising sea levels and fossil fuels and what Conrad would inevitably say about the enduring benefits of sail.

Ultimately, I was surprised that the selection of scholarship contained within this useful collection overlooks timely conversations taking place in eco-critical and environmental humanities circles. It is impossible to read Conrad's sea without a deeper understanding of nature, and the lack of ecocritical readings in this volume seems incongruous with the content of the stories contained within. Where this Norton edition shines in term of identity politics, it leaves readers interested in the material turn wanting more.

Still, I was won over by The Secret Sharer and Other Stories...