Joseph Conrad

Walpole, Hugh, 1884-1941Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 118K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Joseph Conrad by Hugh WalpoleAuthor: Walpole, Hugh, 1884-1941,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 13, 2015

Editor's review

Joseph Conrad is an English-language study of Conrad by Hugh Walpole, made available as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg and classified under English literature. Walpole was himself a novelist, which makes the book read more like one fellow writer's observations and assessments of Conrad's life and work than a dry academic handbook. For readers who want an outline of Conrad's life, the context of his writing, and how critics of the time regarded him, this is an early secondary source that is directly accessible, valuable as a document and enjoyable to read. Its significance lies in showing how critics in the early twentieth century understood Conrad, allowing readers to compare later scholarship and see how assessments have changed. A caveat: this is not a work by Conrad himself, nor a contemporary academic monograph; it should be read in the context of criticism and reception history, and paired with Conrad's own novels for a more substantial understanding.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers currently reading Conrad's novels who want to learn about his life and the context of his work
Scholars and students studying the history of English literary criticism or Conrad's reception
English-language readers interested in public-domain texts from Project Gutenberg
Literary enthusiasts who enjoy writers writing about writers and value personal observation

Not a good fit for

Readers who want to read Conrad's own novels directly
Writers of academic papers requiring contemporary scholarly standards and detailed citations
Readers with limited English proficiency who expect a Chinese-language critical biography

Reading tips

Read one of Conrad's major works first, then this book; criticism and text illuminate each other.
Note Walpole's specific judgments about Conrad as you read, to compare with contemporary scholarship later.
Use the book as material for reception history, attending to the critic's standpoint and historical context.
Read selectively by chapter, prioritizing passages on Conrad's major works and phases of his career.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book written by Conrad himself?

No. It is by Hugh Walpole, a critical work about Conrad, and a secondary source classified under English literature. Conrad's own novels must be sought separately; the two should not be confused.

What was the relationship between Walpole and Conrad?

Walpole was an English novelist, and this book represents one fellow writer's observations and assessments of Conrad. The source does not describe the details of their personal acquaintance; readers may regard the book as one critical voice from the literary circle of the time, not an authoritative biography.

Can this book replace a biography of Conrad?

Not entirely. It carries the critic's personal perspective and the limitations of its era, and is best read as early criticism and reception history. For systematic biographical study, cross-refer with modern scholarly biographies and correspondence.

How can I get this book?

Project Gutenberg publishes it as a free ebook; the English text is available on its project page, released in 2015, with 2019 noted in the version information. Before reading, just confirm that the file format is compatible with your device.

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About the author

Walpole, Hugh, 1884-1941 Author

Hugh Walpole (1884–1941) was a British novelist, with 14 of his works held in this collection. His interests as a writer were wide-ranging; representative works include Fortitude, The Cathedral: A Novel, The Golden Scarecrow, The Duchess of Wrexe, Her Decline and Death: A Romantic Commentary, Joseph Conrad, Jeremy, The Gods and Mr. Perrin: A Tragi-Comedy, and The Captives. Besides full-length novels, he wrote Jeremy, a story centred on a boy's growth, and a study of Conrad as a writer. His fiction often follows characters' inner struggles and moral choices in difficult circumstances, combining romantic colour with realistic detail, with carefully developed plots and fairly full psychological portrayal of his characters. Public information about his life, education and honours is limited, and no inferences are made here.