Lord Jim in The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910

Mar 02, 2012 Capsguy rated it really liked it

The first half of this book is heavy work, Conrad throws a lot at you without a lot of dialogue to break it up. A very psychological novel based on the internal conflicts and consequences of past actions; in this case, the staff abandonment of a ship believed to be sinking with hundreds of ethnic travellers aboard.

This is told from various viewpoints, with each character having immense development and all trying to come to terms with their own inner debacles and problems.

You`re going to find tha The first half of this book is heavy work, Conrad throws a lot at you without a lot of dialogue to break it up. A very psychological novel based on the internal conflicts and consequences of past actions; in this case, the staff abandonment of a ship believed to be sinking with hundreds of ethnic travellers aboard.

This is told from various viewpoints, with each character having immense development and all trying to come to terms with their own inner debacles and problems.

You`re going to find that this novel takes a lot of concentration and time to get through, I certainly would not recommend reading it somewhere where you could easily be distracted.

I felt empathy for Jim, prior to any catastrophe occurring it is so easy for us to believe that we could do any heroic deed necessary to overcome a calamity or thread, like grandeur. The truth is however, that we instinctively as humans recoil from the threat of danger, especially when life-threatening. Self-preservation often prevails. In the aftermath, especially in the eyes of those who were not at the event, it can easily be seen as cowardice but unless they were in a very similar situation, how can they be in a position to judge?

I myself am often an outgoing and confident individual, it is a part of who I am. However, at times when I have shied away from particular instances, afterwards I cannot help but feel resentment towards myself. I cannot wonder how I would have acted if I was in Jim`s shoes.

Anyways, going off on a bit of a tangent here, I hate reviewing books.

In summation, a great tale of redemption with such an immense amount of content readily available to be analysed, coinciding with great quality prose by Conrad that it is more than understandable why this book has been labelled one of the best books ever written.

One last note, cannot emphasise the importance of comparing this to Heart of Darkness. Both written almost literally together, featuring similar ethical and individual dilemmas and the same narrator!

Oh yeah, and Conrad was the best at writing sea-faring stories. Sorry AMERICA! ...more

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