Victory: An Island Tale
by Joseph Conrad
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Book Summary Information
Author: Joseph ConradEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-08-20
ISBN: 143464779X
Number of pages: 342
Publisher: BiblioBazaar
Book Reviews of Victory: An Island Tale
Book Review: A Dark and Tormented Island Tale
Summary: 5 Stars
Victory: An Island Tale is, of course, one of Conrad's classic novels and deserves to be among the great books of the English language, nevertheless I found this work to be uneven and in some ways disappointing. This is hard to explain without spoiling but I'll try. Until the final episodes Victory: An Island Tale is brilliant, absorbing, and disturbing, and of course Conrad's unsurpassed prose is a marvel. The final, episodes, however, are weird, extremely unsettling, and finally obscure and unconvincing. Some passages were simply incomprehensible to me. It all became too highly derived, symbolic, Jamesian, and despite this, in places, crude and vulgar. Of course, these same reservations are standard in Conrad criticism by the experts according to the very helpful introduction in the Modern Library edition that I read. But there it is: The ending is not worthy of Conrad.
Also, aromas of racism and sexism waft around and from this book. I can understand this in the context in which it was written and the context of the story, and I can tune it out or bracket it for the most part. I worry, though, at the same time how complicit I am. Despite the racism and sexism, Conrad has a fundamentally universally human and sympathetic attitude for underdogs, outcasts, the oppressed, and disenchanted which makes his works, and especially this work, so engaging and tends to overshadow the slimier aspects.
The conversation between Schomberg and Ricardo from about page 97 to about 132 is the best part of the novel and the part I enjoyed the most. It is brilliant, funny, insightful, and trenchant. Conrad gets to air some of his social criticism in a very clever way and spin some wild yarns--and in the mouth of a villain! And, by the way, the editor missed mentioning the Nietzschean influences that are evident throughout, but especially in this conversation.
More about the Modern Library edition: As I mentioned the introduction by Peter Lancelot Mallios is worth reading and useful. The notes are for the most part very informative and explain some obscure references. Some of the notes are silly--too much is made of biblical references and derivations from other authors. A map of the area (Indonesia) with locations is included right on the first page. I would recommend this edition.
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