Lord Jim (1900)

Dalle labbra dell'amico Marlow apprendiamo la storia di Lord Jim, di una colpa che, sebbene, in apparenza, affrontata con fierezza e coraggio nelle aule di un tribunale e punita secondo giustizia, vede comunque il "peccatore" fuggire da un luogo all'altro non in cerca di redenzione, ma di un luogo in cui dimenticar il proprio disonore. E anche quando il destino sembra rimettere le carte in gioco e concedergli di riviver le circostanze del passato, diversi avvenimenti sopraggiungono a precludergli quest'opportunità (forse) di far pace con i propri demoni. Detto questo, lo considero un romanzo di formazione a metà. Buone le premesse, buono lo snodo narrativo principale, ma Jim rimane un mero fantasma, un personaggio caratterizzato di sfuggita, quasi una sorta di comparsa che non vede quell'approfondimento psicologico e quella crescita (in positivo o in negativo) che forse il romanzo avrebbe dovuto prevedere e che mi sarei aspettato. ( )

A thrilling & interesting story of an honorable but unfortunate seaman. Utilizes a surprising meta device to frame the story - the whole book is being told by a sailor at a bar.

The writing was beautiful but I found it to be overly ornate & overwrought at points. Was really a slog to get through some sections. Ultimately worthwhile. Great & tragic ending! ( )

I liked this quite a bit! Conrad is a little too wordy at times for my taste but this is a sharply written/observed novel about a lot of things that don't have names and can't be easily described. ( )

As others have noted, this could have been a bit shorter. And Conrad's habit of nesting the story within another character's narration (Marlow of Heart of Darkness) is a bit annoying. Still, there is a lot of interest in this story of a man trying to escape a terrible act of cowardice. ( )

Turn of the century bizarreness.

Lord Jim is not a likeable fellow, all show and no substance; although, in his self delusion, he seems to think his actions are reasonable. Somewhere, in the corner of his mind, he knows his truth.

I can say a bit about the subject matter - white men ruling over native peoples - and the resulting colonialism is abhorrent, chaotic, and disturbing. In no fashion is it portrayed heroically with upstanding characters. We are treated to the most unscrupulous group of men sailing, pirating, converting, swindling, and making a living as ever sailed the tropical seas. Still, the story is told by a proper British nobleman whose world at this time never sees a sunset and who, for some reason, takes the young Jim under his wing.

I can talk about what is good in the book - the beautiful sentences, the descriptions, the metaphors. I did tire of the flowery prose and took a long break in the middle of the book.

How Conrad developed the story is wonderful. We are teased by the narration, chapter by chapter, finding out about Jim's actions slowly but surely. A seasoned, wealthy, British gentleman named Marlow tells the story with his gin and tonic and fine cigar in hand. He tells stories within stories.

Personally, as much as I appreciated the methods used to write this novel, I could have enjoyed it if it was much, much shorter. It is definitely of its time. ( )