Lord Jim

By Jim, Lord

Description
Excerpt: When this novel first appeared in book form a notion got about that I had been bolted away with. Some reviewers maintained that the work starting as a short story had got beyond the writer?s control. One or two discovered internal evidence of the fact, which seemed to amuse them. They pointed out the limitations of the narrative form. They argued that no man could have been expected to talk all that time, and other men to listen so long. It was not, they said, very credible. After thinking it over for something like sixteen years, I am not so sure about that. Men have been known, both in the tropics and in the temperate zone, to sit up half the night ?swapping yarns'. This, however, is but one yarn, yet with interruptions affording some measure of relief; and in regard to the listeners? endurance, the postulate must be accepted that the story was interesting. It is the necessary preliminary assumption. If I hadn't believed that it was interesting I could never have begun to write it. As to the mere physical possibility we all know that some speeches in Parliament have taken nearer six than three hours in delivery; whereas all that part of the book which is Marlow?s narrative can be read through aloud, I should say, in less than three hours. Besides though I have kept strictly all such insignificant details out of the tale we may presume that there must have been refreshments on that night, a glass of mineral water of some sort to help the narrator on.

Table of Contents
Table of Contents: Lord Jim, 1 -- Joseph Conrad, 1 -- AUTHOR'S NOTE, 2 -- Chapter 1, 3 -- Chapter 2, 5 -- Chapter 3, 8 -- Chapter 4, 12 -- Chapter 5, 14 -- Chapter 6, 21 -- Chapter 7, 29 -- Chapter 8, 33 -- Chapter 9, 38 -- Chapter 10, 42 -- Chapter 11, 48 -- Chapter 12, 50 -- Chapter 13, 53 -- Chapter 14, 58 -- Chapter 15, 62 -- Chapter 16, 64 -- Chapter 17, 67 -- Chapter 18, 68 -- Chapter 19, 72 -- Chapter 20, 74 -- Chapter 21, 80 -- Chapter 22, 83 -- Chapter 23, 85 -- Chapter 24, 88 -- Chapter 25, 91 -- Chapter 26, 94 -- Chapter 27, 96 -- Chapter 28, 99 -- Chapter 29, 102 -- Chapter 30, 104 -- Chapter 31, 106 -- Chapter 32, 109 -- Chapter 33, 111 -- Chapter 34, 115 -- Chapter 35, 119 -- Chapter 36, 122 -- Chapter 37, 124 -- Chapter 38, 127 -- Chapter 39, 131 -- Chapter 40, 133 -- Chapter 41, 137 -- Chapter 42, 139 -- Chapter 43, 142 -- Chapter 44, 144 -- Lord Jim -- i