Joseph Conrad

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

3.2

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: Jun 30, 2016

Editor's review

Hugh Walpole's critical biography of Joseph Conrad is short, yet it offers the distinctive perspective of a contemporary writer observing another at close range. Unlike later academic biographies, it reads more like a candid conversation between literary peers: it traces Conrad's path from Polish sailor to English novelist and comments on the sea, exotic settings, and moral dilemmas in his work. Walpole writes plainly, without excessive theoretical framing, making the book a suitable introduction to Conrad's world. Readers may use it as companion reading before or after The Heart of Darkness or Lord Jim: first learn the outline of Conrad's life and creative concerns, then return to the originals to appreciate the narrative technique. The descriptions of the writer's character and writing habits also help explain why Conrad favored seafaring experience and characters in marginal situations. Note that this is a critical biography carrying the judgments of a contemporary; its views may not fully align with present-day scholarship, and it is best read alongside the original works.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers who want an initial understanding of Conrad's life and creative background
Those preparing to read The Heart of Darkness and other works who need an introductory guide
Readers interested in the British literary circle from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century
General readers who prefer writer biographies to weighty academic biographies

Not a good fit for

Researchers expecting systematic textual analysis or a contemporary theoretical framework
Readers who want only Conrad's original novels and no secondary commentary
Those needing detailed chronologies, correspondence research, or other in-depth materials

Reading tips

First read this book to grasp the outline of Conrad's life, then choose one major work and read it alongside the biography.
While reading, note Walpole's specific evaluations of the works and compare them with your own reading impressions.
Make a list of the works mentioned in the book and expand your reading by interest, one book at a time.
Keep a critical eye on the biography's views; when encountering controversial judgments, consult other biographies for reference.

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 an autobiography written by Conrad himself?

No. This is a critical biography of Conrad written by the British author Hugh Walpole; it is another person's introduction to and evaluation of Conrad's life and work, not Conrad's own account.

Can I read this book directly if I have never read any of Conrad's novels?

Yes. The book can serve as an introductory guide to Conrad's experiences and creative background; but to truly appreciate his literary value, you should still go on to read at least one of his major works in the original.

Is this book in Chinese or English?

According to the information available, this is an English-language eBook released by Project Gutenberg; the language is English, so readers need some English reading ability.

Comments

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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.