Appearance
The Secret Sharer and Other Stories
Conrad, once again, out does himself with his insights into the human psyche. Second only to "Heart of Darkness," this thrilling short novel delves deep into the protaganists mind and leaves the reader questioning his own capabilities. Fanatstic character developement defines this piece of work and his constant reference to the main characters similarities keeps the reader thinking with every turn of the page. Conrad is able to capture human emotions in a clear manner that is normally hard to articulate. A brilliant novel that left me wanting more...
The Secret Sharer and Other Stories
I've been on a recent binge, reading authors from the late 1800s--Wells, Conrad, Stevenson, Crane, and so on. "The Secret Sharer," like the stories of these others, is surprisingly readable. It is also full of internal searching and psychological exploration.The story, in a linear sense, tells of a new captain on a ship in the Far East. He is not yet familiar with his vessel or crew. Instead of establishing rigid routine and discipline, as one would expect, he starts his leadership off with some bending of the rules and norms. This allows him to then discover what he believes to be a headless corpse floating alongside his boat. The corpse is, in fact, a living man, who comes on board, and under the captain's protection finds some reprieve from his sin.On the surface, one would think this story an adventure yarn with some vague psychological elements. In reading about Conrad's life and demeanor, though, it is clearly about much more. Conrad, himself, was born in Poland, lived on the high seas, and took up residence in England. He was a man caught between different worlds, different standards. He seems to deal with some of this as he compares the loose-cannon captain with the questionable stowaway. They are ghosts of each other, he implies, doubles in many ways. Is Conrad questioning his own moral nature? The darkness within? Is he pondering leadership and manhood and how it is defined by capricious decisions? Why is the captain willing to risk the lives of his entire crew for the sake of one somewhat guilty man?There are many questions amidst this fun read. I enjoyed the writing, the story--even if it has the late 1800s tendency to tell such tales secondhand, through a removed storyteller.
The Secret Sharer and Other Stories
The Secret Sharer is a good novelle about an English sea captain on his first command. It deals with his "double" and the mental strain put on him by the "double".
The Secret Sharer and Other Stories
Just to clarify: English was Conrad's third language. Polish and French preceded it.
The Secret Sharer and Other Stories
Excellent book. Had to read it for class and loved it. Would recommend to anyone.
The Secret Sharer and Other Stories
I am being a bit too harsh with the title to my review, but I really did not enjoy this short (but it seems so, so long) story. Just as Conrad's other novel, Heart of Darkness, has symbolism and deeper meanings- so follows the Secret Sharer. Simply, I did not like this book. I would have been completely lost if it were not for the helpful introduction written by Albert Guerard. I read the introduction after reading the story, and it shed a lot of light on the book. Though I did not enjoy the book, I am impressed with the man behind the book- I cannot believe that English is his second language. He also has an impressive personal life history- it seems as if he has experienced everything he writes about, this adds value to his works.