for expounding his ideas in a non-academic and creative way. It would be a few years before other novelists dared to delve so deeply into what might be described as the human soul in such an exposing and revelatory way. As is so often the case with pioneers, Conrad remained largely unsung until other writers began citing him as an influence.
TO
PERCEVAL
AND
MAISIE GIBBON
Calling shapes and beckoning shadows dire And airy tongues that syllable men’s names On sands and shores and desert wildernesses.
COMUS
CONTENTS
Classic Literature: Words and Phrases
The last word of this novel was written on 29 May 1914. And that last word was the single word of the title.
Those were the times of peace. Now that the moment of publication approaches I have been considering the discretion of altering the title-page. The word “Victory”, the shining and tragic goal of noble effort, appeared too great, too august, to stand at the head of a mere novel. There was also the possibility of falling under the suspicion of commercial astuteness deceiving the public into the belief that the