Joseph Conrad after a Century [Volume: 7(1988), pp. 217-228]

CONRAD AFTER A CENTURY
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of a well."-but adds that "Conrad, I suppose, is in process of being forgotten."
This was written some forty years ago, when Conrad's critical reputation in England was indeed at its lowest ebb. But it soon rebounded, partly
under the influence of Americans, such as Robert Penn Warren and Morton
Dauwen Zabel.
And Conrad has never ceased to be a popular writer. The only one,
and perhaps the last one, of the great and most innovative novelists who
is read not only by specialists, connoisseurs, the high-brow crowd, and
students who are not given a choice, but by men and women of all walks
of life. What is his secret?
I have been trying to accumulate the elements of an answer which
cannot be a simple one. Of the factors mentioned thus far three seem to
play the most prominent role. The first is Conrad's mastery in making
use, in English, of the resources of his non-English cultural traditions.
The second, his artistic inventiveness not limited to the confines of a single
artistic movement. And the third is Conrad's endeavour to make the reader
his partner. Psychologically, the last factor is perhaps of greatest consequence, as the "partnership" is not coupled with condescension on the
part of the writer and requires the reader to make an effort to keep up,
an exhilarating and rewarding effort. Conrad's invitation to the reader
to become his accomplice in the re-creation of a work of art and in asserting
human solidarity makes the reader also an associate in the writer's lasting
presence, lifts the reader up in the consciousness of sharing in an important
experience, gives all readers a boost to their spirits and self-esteem.
Historically, however, the first two factors may turn out to be no
less important. For all his uniqueness, Conrad was not an eccentric. His
life has put at his disposal different strains of the same broadly understood
Western civilization. He made these currents, akin but distinct, to cross.
Polish Romanticism, with its idea of a work of art as a moral deed and
its obsession with the problems of honour and responsibility; Gustave
Flaubert's realism with its combination of disillusionment and passion-are
just two examples of literary traditions Conrad absorbed and made use
of. It is impossible to understand fully the cultural dictionary of his workthe ideas he expressed and analyzed, artistic means he employed-without
a knowledge of his Polish, French and British heritage. But it seems to
be possible to enjoy reading him and be moved by him without any special
preparatory training.
Because all the above is not yet the whole answer to the question
about Conrad's lasting importance and popularity. While writing about
the world now a century old-Conrad saw in it elements which are still
with us today. More so than any other writer of his time. On the pages of
his books that world of a hundred years ago looks strikingly, disturbingly
familiar.