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The Heroism of Serving Coffee: Joseph Conrad and The Nigger of the 'Narcissus'
- Partial Answers: Journal of Literature and the History of Ideas
- Johns Hopkins University Press
- Volume 18, Number 1, January 2020
- pp. 51-66
- 10.1353/pan.2020.0002
- Article
- Additional Information
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Abstract:
Conrad's The Nigger of the 'Narcissus' is more than a tribute to life at sea, but the novel's sympathetic portrayal of a multi-national group of physical laborers paid a meager wage, living in harsh conditions, and performing repetitive and physically debilitating work, is significantly understudied. The present article considers Conrad's compelling representation of the life of British merchant sailors for a middle-class literary audience. I demonstrate how Conrad makes his readers listen to the voice of the sailors, reflect on the value of their work, and appreciate the importance of seemingly menial, physical labor—such as serving coffee during a storm.