Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from An Outcast of the Islands, by Joseph Conrad
AUTHOR’S NOTE
“An Outcast of the Islands” is my second novel in the absolute sense of
the word; second in conception, second in execution, second as it were
in its essence. There was no hesitation, half-formed plan, vague idea,
or the vaguest reverie of anything else between it and “Almayer’s
Folly.” The only doubt I suffered from, after the publication of
“Almayer’s Folly,” was whether I should write another line for print.
Those days, now grown so dim, had their poignant moments. Neither in
my mind nor in my heart had I then given up the sea. In truth I was
clinging to it desperately, all the more desperately because, against
my will, I could not help feeling that there was something changed in my
relation to it. “Almayer’s Folly,” had been finished and done with. The
mood itself was gone. But it had left the memory of an experience that,
both in thought and emotion was unconnected with the sea, and I suppose
that part of my moral being which is rooted in consistency was badly
shaken. I was a victim of contrary stresses which produced a state of
immobility. I gave myself up to indolence. Since it was impossible for
me to face both ways I had elected to face nothing. The discovery of
new values in life is a very chaotic experience; there is a tremendous
amount of jostling and confusion and a momentary feeling of darkness. I
let my spirit float supine over that chaos.
A phrase of Edward Garnett’s is, as a matter of fact, responsible for
this book. The first of the friends I made for myself by my pen it
was but natural that he should be the recipient, at that time, of my
confidences. One evening when we had dined together and he had listened
to the account of my perplexities (I fear he must have been growing a
little tired of them) he pointed out that there was no need to determine
my future absolutely. Then he added: “You have the style, you have the
temperament; why not write another?” I believe that as far as one man
may wish to influence another man’s life Edward Garnett had a great
desire that I should go on writing. At that time, and I may say, ever
afterwards, he was always very patient and gentle with me. What strikes
me most however in the phrase quoted above which was offered to me in a
tone of detachment is not its gentleness but its effective wisdom. Had
he said, “Why not go on writing,” it is very probable he would have
scared me away from pen and ink for ever; but there was nothing either
to frighten one or arouse one’s antagonism in the mere suggestion to
“write another.” And thus a dead point in the revolution of my affairs
was insidiously got over. The word “another” did it. At about eleven
o’clock of a nice London night, Edward and I walked along interminable
streets talking of many things, and I remember that on getting home
I sat down and wrote about half a page of “An Outcast of the Islands”
before I slept. This was committing myself definitely, I won’t say to
another life, but to another book. There is apparently something in my
character which will not allow me to abandon for good any piece of work
I have begun. I have laid aside many beginnings. I have laid them aside
with sorrow, with disgust, with rage, with melancholy and even with
self-contempt; but even at the worst I had an uneasy consciousness that
I would have to go back to them.
Explanation
Detailed Explanation of Joseph Conrad’s Author’s Note from An Outcast of the Islands
Joseph Conrad’s Author’s Note to An Outcast of the Islands (1896) is a deeply introspective prefatory remark that reveals the psychological and artistic struggles behind the novel’s creation. Unlike a typical preface that might discuss themes or influences, Conrad’s note is a personal confession—an exploration of doubt, creative paralysis, and the fragile moment of artistic commitment. Below is a close reading of the text, analyzing its context, themes, literary devices, and significance, with primary focus on the excerpt itself.
1. Context: Conrad’s Life and Literary Career at the Time
- An Outcast of the Islands (1896) is Conrad’s second novel, following Almayer’s Folly (1895), both set in the Malay Archipelago, drawing on his experiences as a merchant sailor.
- At this stage, Conrad was transitioning from a seafaring life to a literary career, a shift that caused profound internal conflict. The sea had been his identity for nearly two decades, and writing was an uncertain new path.
- The note reflects Conrad’s crisis of vocation: he was torn between his past (the sea) and his future (writing), unsure if he could—or should—continue as an author.
2. Themes in the Excerpt
A. Creative Paralysis and Self-Doubt
Conrad describes a profound stagnation after finishing Almayer’s Folly:
“The only doubt I suffered from, after the publication of ‘Almayer’s Folly,’ was whether I should write another line for print.”
- He feels emptied out—the "mood" that drove his first novel is gone, leaving him in a liminal state between two lives (sailor and writer).
- The phrase “I had elected to face nothing” suggests existential indecision, a refusal to commit to either path. His "indolence" is not laziness but a defensive withdrawal from choice.
B. The Sea as a Lost Identity
“Neither in my mind nor in my heart had I then given up the sea. In truth I was clinging to it desperately…”
- The sea is not just a career but a moral and emotional anchor. Letting it go feels like a betrayal of self.
- The “something changed in my relation to it” implies alienation—he is no longer fully a sailor, but not yet fully a writer. This duality paralyzes him.
C. The Chaos of Creative Discovery
“The discovery of new values in life is a very chaotic experience; there is a tremendous amount of jostling and confusion and a momentary feeling of darkness.”
- Writing has introduced new "values" (artistic, intellectual, emotional) that disrupt his old worldview.
- The imagery of chaos, jostling, and darkness suggests creative turmoil—the birth of something new is violent, not serene.
- His “spirit float[ing] supine over that chaos” implies passive surrender to uncertainty, a refusal to impose order.
D. The Role of External Influence (Edward Garnett’s Intervention)
“A phrase of Edward Garnett’s is, as a matter of fact, responsible for this book.”
- Garnett, a literary critic and editor, becomes a catalyst. His advice—“Why not write another?”—is framed as gentle yet decisive.
- Conrad emphasizes the psychological precision of Garnett’s wording:
- “Had he said, ‘Why not go on writing,’ it is very probable he would have scared me away…”
- “Write another” is non-committal, suggesting a single act rather than a lifelong burden. This minimalist phrasing makes the task feel manageable.
- The moment of commitment happens almost accidentally:
“I sat down and wrote about half a page of ‘An Outcast of the Islands’ before I slept.”
- This is not a grand decision but a small, almost impulsive act—yet it binds him to the work.
E. The Compulsion to Finish What He Starts
“There is apparently something in my character which will not allow me to abandon for good any piece of work I have begun.”
- Conrad reveals a psychological trait: an obsession with completion, even if the process is painful.
- The list of emotions—“sorrow, disgust, rage, melancholy, self-contempt”—shows the tortured relationship he has with his craft.
- Yet, the “uneasy consciousness” that he must return suggests writing is both a curse and a necessity.
3. Literary Devices and Stylistic Choices
Conrad’s prose here is introspective, rhythmic, and psychologically dense, using several key devices:
A. Metaphor and Imagery
- Chaos as Creative Birth:
- “jostling and confusion”, “momentary feeling of darkness”
- Writing is not orderly but a struggle in the dark, akin to existential upheaval.
- The Sea as a Lost Lover:
- “clinging to it desperately”
- The sea is personified as something he cannot let go of, even as it slips away.
B. Parallelism and Repetition
- “second in conception, second in execution, second as it were in its essence”
- The triple repetition of “second” emphasizes the novel’s sequential, almost fated nature—it is an inevitable follow-up, not a free choice.
- “I have laid aside many beginnings… with sorrow, with disgust, with rage, with melancholy and even with self-contempt”
- The anaphora (“with”) builds a crescendo of negative emotions, showing the agony of abandonment.
C. Irony and Understatement
- “I won’t say to another life, but to another book.”
- The understated contrast between “life” and “book” is ironic—writing is his new life, but he downplays it, as if to minimize the weight of his decision.
- “This was committing myself definitely…”
- The act of writing half a page is trivial in action but monumental in consequence.
D. Dialogue and Tone
- Garnett’s phrase—“You have the style, you have the temperament; why not write another?”
- The detached, almost clinical tone of “why not”** makes it persuasive rather than pressuring.
- Conrad highlights the wisdom in gentleness—Garnett does not demand but suggests, which is more effective.
4. Significance of the Excerpt
A. A Portrait of the Artist’s Struggle
- This note is not just about An Outcast of the Islands but about the birth of Conrad as a writer.
- It captures the vulnerability of creation—the fear of failure, the loss of old identities, and the terrifying freedom of a new path.
B. The Psychology of Commitment
- Conrad’s reluctant, almost accidental commitment to writing mirrors the themes of his novels:
- His protagonists (like Willems in An Outcast) are often torn between loyalties, paralyzed by choice, and driven by forces beyond their control.
- Here, Conrad himself is a kind of "outcast"—displaced from the sea, not yet at home in literature.
C. The Role of Mentorship in Art
- Garnett’s influence shows how external voices can shape an artist’s path.
- The note is a tribute to the power of subtle encouragement—sometimes, a single phrase can alter a life’s trajectory.
D. Writing as an Act of Survival
- Conrad’s compulsion to finish what he starts suggests that writing is not just art but a psychological necessity.
- The “uneasy consciousness” that pulls him back to abandoned work implies that his stories are hauntings—they demand to be told.
5. Connection to An Outcast of the Islands Itself
While the Author’s Note is autobiographical, it parallels the novel’s themes:
- Peter Willems, the protagonist, is a white trader in the Malay Archipelago who betrays his European employers and is exiled.
- Like Conrad, he is caught between worlds (East/West, loyalty/betrayal).
- His downfall is rooted in indecision and moral weakness, much like Conrad’s creative paralysis.
- The novel explores isolation, cultural displacement, and the consequences of choice—all of which Conrad lived through in his transition from sailor to writer.
6. Conclusion: The Note as a Microcosm of Conrad’s Art
This Author’s Note is more than a preface—it is a confession, a manifesto, and a psychological study of the artistic process. Conrad reveals:
- The terror of creative freedom—the fear that one may not be equal to the task.
- The necessity of external prompts—how even great artists need a push (or a gentle nudge).
- The inevitability of the unfinished—how abandoned work haunts the artist until it is completed.
- The sea as a lost love—how old identities linger like ghosts, even as new ones emerge.
In the end, Conrad’s reluctant, half-accidental commitment to writing An Outcast of the Islands mirrors the fate-driven, morally ambiguous choices of his characters. The note is both an origin story and a warning: creation is chaotic, painful, and sometimes begun in darkness—but once started, it cannot be abandoned.
Final Thought: Conrad’s Author’s Note is a masterclass in how art is born—not from confidence, but from doubt; not from grand decisions, but from small, hesitant steps. It reminds us that even the greatest writers stand at the edge of their own chaos, wondering whether to leap.