Within the Tides: Tales

Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.9

Word count: 343K words
Chapters: 35

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.Within the Tides: Tales by Joseph ConradAuthor: Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Sep 1, 1997

Editor's review

Within the Tides: Tales is a collection of short stories by Conrad, a slender volume from the middle and later phases of his career. Conrad is known for writing out of his seafaring experience and for his explorations of moral predicament; this collection continues his attention to the situations of people against maritime and exotic backdrops, with narratives that often slide from a calm surface into psychological and ethical undercurrents. Its value for readers lies not in strong plot excitement but in the narrator's restraint, the layered turns of time and perspective, and the lingering sense of something left unsaid. As a public-domain electronic text from Project Gutenberg, it is easy to take up at any time, but that also means it lacks modern annotation and introduction, and readers unfamiliar with Conrad's long sentences and shifting narration may need patience. It suits reading one story at a sitting in an unhurried stretch of time, noting who the narrator is and how information is delayed; looking back at the opening after finishing often reveals structural echoes. For readers studying English literature or sea narrative, this small book can serve as a supplementary sample of Conrad's shorter fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English readers who like Conrad and want to fill in his short stories
Those interested in sea narrative and stories set in exotic locales
Readers and writers studying the structure of the English short story
Readers with patience for restrained narration and atmosphere over plot

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plotting and fast-paced stories
Beginners with little English reading experience who are daunted by long sentences
Those who need detailed notes and an introduction to enter the text

Reading tips

Read one story at a time; after finishing, first retell who the narrator is and how the information unfolds.
When you meet a long sentence, mark its main clause first, then look back at the modifiers; there is no need to puzzle over every word.
After reading, look back at the opening and note structural echoes and key information that was delayed.
You may use a map or background material on seafaring to help enter the spatial setting.

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 a novel or a collection of short stories?

It is a collection of short stories made up of several independent pieces, not a single novel. It suits reading story by story rather than straight through; each piece is relatively complete and the reading load is lighter, but you need to get used to Conrad's narrative rhythm.

Can I read this directly if I have never read Conrad?

You can try, but it is advisable to read one or two stories first to get a feel for his way of narrating. Conrad often writes in a circling manner, delaying disclosure, so a first reading may feel slow; if you start with the shorter pieces and accept the practice of looking back after reading, it will be easier to enter.

Does this electronic edition have notes or an introduction?

The information shows that this is a public-domain electronic text released by Project Gutenberg, usually simply formatted and not necessarily accompanied by modern notes or an introduction. If you need background explanation, you can find Conrad studies or a preface to a translation to read alongside it.

Is it suitable for practicing English reading?

It suits readers with some foundation for extensive reading, but it is not an ideal introductory textbook. Conrad's syntax is long and literary, and beginners may easily get stuck; it is best used with a dictionary, reading aloud, and paragraph retelling, as more advanced reading material.

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About the author

Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924 Author

Joseph Conrad (1857–1924) was a novelist best known in English literature for his sea and colonial fiction, with 39 of his works held in this collection. Public information is limited, so his biography is not detailed here. Such representative works as Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim, Nostromo, Typhoon, The Secret Agent, The Shadow Line and Victory show that he often set his stories against the sea, the jungle and foreign ports, following characters as they face isolation, danger and moral dilemmas. His prose is restrained and measured, his structures often rely on retrospection and multiple points of view, and his psychological portraiture is finely drawn. He raised the adventure story into a serious examination of human nature, loyalty and the pretenses of civilization, and his influence on later English fiction has been profound.