Joseph Conrad: Voice, Sequence, History, Genre

Joseph Conrad: Voice, Sequence, History, Genre brings together essays by established critics of Conrad and by leading narratologists that explore Conrad’s innovative uses of narrative throughout his career. Collectively, these explorations by Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan, Gail Fincham, Jeremy Hawthorn, Susan Jones, Jakob Lothe, J. Hillis Miller, Zdzisław Najder, Josiane Paccaud-Huguet, James Phelan, Christophe Robin, Allan H. Simmons, and J. H. Stape amply demonstrate (1) that narrative theory, and especially some of its more recent developments, can help critics generate greater insight into the complexities of Conrad’s work; and (2) that a rigorous engagement with Conradian narrative can lead theorists to a further honing of their analytical tools. More particularly, the volume focuses on the four narrative issues identified in the subtitle, and it analyzes examples of Conrad’s fiction and nonfiction, from early work such as An Outcast of the Islands to his late work of reminiscence, A Personal Record. The volume also provides multiple perspectives on major works such as Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim, a cluster of three essays on Nostromo and history, and an afterword by the editors that looks ahead to future work on the interrelations of Conrad and narrative theory.