Lord Jim

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Lord Jim is a novel by Joseph Conrad , first published as a serialized story in Blackwood's Magazine from October 1899 to November 1900. The novel is divided into two parts, a psychological story about Jim's moral mistakes aboard the pilgrim ship "Patna" and an adventure story Story of Jim's rise and fall among the people of Patusan, a native state somewhere in East India or Southeast Asia.

Some critics noted that the second part was worse than the first, but it is necessary to work out the psychological drama that begins in the first part.

The novel was inspired by the dramatic story of the Jeddah pilgrimage ship , which its captain left in distress in 1880. Conrad studied this story after arriving in Singapore in 1883.

The story

The narrative is notable for its sophisticated manipulation of the point of view. Most of the narrative is presented in the form of a story that a Charles Marlow tells to a group of listeners, and the conclusion is presented in the form of a letter from Marlow. Within Marlow's narrative, other characters often tell their own stories in nested dialogues. Thus the events of this narrative are shown from many angles and in many cases out of chronological order. Such a multi-faceted view could neither be created by a single omniscient narrator nor by a first-person narrator , Jim.

The reader is left alone with the task of working out Jim's inner psychological state from these diverse points of view. However, a number of facts are inconsistent with the explanation of the human condition, as Marlow noted at the Patna trial: “They wanted facts. Facts! They demanded facts from him as if facts could explain anything! ”In the end, Jim remains mysterious, as if seen through a fog. "This fog in which he remained interesting, with flowing lines, a fighter who remains uncertain for his low place in the rankings." [...] "It is as if we were dealing with another person's intimate needs: us perceive how incomprehensible, floating and foggy the beings remain, who share with us the same view of the stars and the warmth of the sun. ”It is only through Marlow's story that Jim lives for us - the warm relationship between the two men that causes Marlow to "To tell you the story, to give it to you as it was, its exact existence, its reality - the truth, revealed in a moment of illusion."

Charles Marlow is also the narrator in three other works by Conrad: Heart of Darkness , Youth and Game of Chance .

Summary

Jim is a young British seaman who serves as the first mate on the Patna , a dilapidated ship loaded with pilgrims who are to be brought from the Indian subcontinent to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage . In the event of an accident , the crew from scoundrels leaves the ship and leaves the pilgrims to their fate. They fear the Patna will sink. Jim actually wants to stay on board, but then jumps after the rest of the crew. The Patna does not sink, however, a French ship takes her in tow and brings her to safety. While the captain and the other crew members evade a process, Jim faces the responsibility alone. The court revokes his nautical patents because of his misconduct. In court he meets Marlow, who befriends him, and tries to get him work as an assistant to various acquaintances, e. B. a miller or a ship chandler. Jim tries to remain anonymous, but when his past comes to light he leaves work and moves deeper and deeper into the Far East. However, his shame haunts him like a shadow. Eventually, Marlow's friend Stein, a wealthy merchant, suggests employing Jim as his deputy in Patusan. The remote Southeast Asian region is populated by Malays and Bugis and Jim's past can remain a secret for the time being. Jim proves his worth, wins the respect of the people, becomes their leader by defeating the robber Sharif Ali and protects the natives from the corrupt Malaysian chief Rajah Tunku Allang. Jim wins the love of a woman he calls Jewel. “In her whole being there was a strange mixture of shyness and daring.” He is “satisfied ... almost”. The tragedy soon takes its course when the city is attacked by the pirate "Gentleman" Brown. Although Brown and his gang are evicted, Dain Waris, the son of the leader of the Bugis community, is murdered. Jim, who takes responsibility for his friend's death, is overtaken by his shadow. He dies of a shot in the heart given by Dain Wari's father. “The crowd ... rushed forward excitedly after the shot. They say the white man cast a proud, fearless look at the rows of faces to the right and left. Then, with his hand over his lips, he fell forward, dead. "

Quotes in other works

  • Jim's fateful ship, the Patna, is also mentioned in the short story "The Immortal" by Jorge Luis Borges ; the name "Patna" becomes "Patria".
  • Lord Jim was the namesake of the Lord Jim Lodge .
  • Thomas Mann : "Finished with emotion" Lord Jim ", love and admiration."
  • Renée Zucker : "It cannot be a coincidence that this cleverly nested and never completely deciphered portrait of a sailor appeared in the same year as Sigmund Freud's Interpretation of Dreams ."

Movie version

The first film adaptation was made in 1925, with the title Lord Jim , directed by Victor Fleming . In 1965 the book was filmed again by Richard Brooks , with Peter O'Toole as Lord Jim.

literature

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