The Secret Agent Norton Critical Editions

“[A] masterly study of the inner workings of the disordered minds whose aim is destruction, violence, and the overturning of law and order by means of bombs.” —The (London) Observer (1907) This Norton Critical Edition includes: - The first English book edition of the novel (1907), accompanied by explanatory footnotes. - Four illustrations. - Contemporary sources that informed Conrad’s writing of the novel, including newspaper accounts of the “Greenwich Bomb Outrage,” articles from the anarchist press, earlier fictional treatments of the Martial Bourdin case (the inspiration for Adolph Verloc), and important texts related to anarchism and fin-de-siecle culture. - Seven wide-ranging critical essays by Ian Watt, Terry Eagleton, Martin Ray, Hugh Epstein, Gail Fincham, Peter Lancelot Mallios, and Michael Newton. - A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography.

"[A] masterly study of the inner workings of the disordered minds whose aim is destruction, violence, and the overturning of law and order by means of bombs." --The (London) Observer (1907)

“[A] masterly study of the inner workings of the disordered minds whose aim is destruction, violence, and the overturning of law and order by means of bombs.” —The (London) Observer (1907) This Norton Critical Edition includes: - The first English book edition of the novel (1907), accompanied by explanatory footnotes. - Four illustrations. - Contemporary sources that informed Conrad’s writing of the novel, including newspaper accounts of the “Greenwich Bomb Outrage,” articles from the anarchist press, earlier fictional treatments of the Martial Bourdin case (the inspiration for Adolph Verloc), and important texts related to anarchism and fin-de-siecle culture. - Seven wide-ranging critical essays by Ian Watt, Terry Eagleton, Martin Ray, Hugh Epstein, Gail Fincham, Peter Lancelot Mallios, and Michael Newton. - A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography.

With a note by the author. 'Madness and despair! Give me that for a lever, and I'll move the world' In the only novel Conrad set in London, The Secret Agent communicates a profoundly ironic view of human affairs. The story is woven around an attack on the Greenwich Observatory in 1894 masterminded by Verloc, a Russian spy working for the police, and ostensibly a member of an anarchist group in Soho. His masters instruct him to discredit the anarchists in a humiliating fashion, and when his evil plan goes horribly awry, Verlac must deal with the repercussions of his actions. The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction written in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels, to the beginning of the First World War.

Presenting The Secret Agent (Large Print Edition) by Joseph Conrad. This classic is part of The Great Books Series by Golding Books. The Secret Agent is a classic work of espionage fiction, a spy thriller that is also described as a political novel, with other themes including anarchism and terrorism. Adolf Verloc is a secret agent and shop owner in Soho, London. Conrad states that his primary characteristic is indolence; but he is employed, by a mysterious agency, to spy on revolutionary groups and instigate a terrorist act against the Greenwich Observatory. The Secret Agent is considered to be prescient in foretelling the rise of terrorism, anarchism, and the growth of spy agencies such as MI5. The New York Times called it "the most brilliant novelistic study of terrorism." Golding Books' Great Books Series, along with its Essential Series, comprises a wide variety of classic, influential and important books. These two series aim to champion not only remarkable and recognized literary achievements, but also to highlight the meaningful and significant works of lesser-known authors. Get your copy of the titles through convenient online purchase as an eBook or in paperback (including some Large Print editions). Joseph Conrad was born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in the Russian Empire (now Ukraine, and once part of the Kingdom of Poland) in 1857. Because of his father's attempts at farming and political activism, the family moved repeatedly (such as to Warsaw, Vologda, and Chernihiv) and Conrad was home-schooled. An aloof and often depressed man, 20-year-old Conrad attempted suicide by shooting himself in the chest with a revolver. Born a Russian subject, he was granted British nationality in 1886 after joining the British merchant marine in 1878, and eventually settled in Kent, England. About half of his 19-year merchant marine career was spent at sea; he achieved captain's rank after working in numerous crew roles. His most popular novels include The Nigger of the 'Narcissus' (1897), Heart of Darkness (1899), Lord Jim (1900), Typhoon (1902), Nostromo (1904), and The Secret Agent (1907). After suffering throughout his life from issues with his physical and mental health, Conrad died of a likely heart attack at the age of 66.

This is Joseph Conrad's 1907 novel, "The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale". Set in London in 1886, it concerns Mr. Adolf Verloc, a spy who works for an unknown country. The novel is significant as it was one of Conrad's later political novels, representing a divergence from his earlier stories of seafaring. "The Secret Agent" deals with ideas of anarchism, terrorism, espionage, and exploitation. Modern Library ranked it the 46th most significant novel of the 20th century and, due to its themes, was one of the most referenced novels in American media subsequent to the 9/11 attacks. Joseph Conrad (1857 - 1924) was a Polish-British writer considered to be amongst the greatest novelists in the English language. Other notable works by this author include: "Heart of Darkness" (1899), "Nostromo" (1904), and "Under Western Eyes" (1911). Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this book now in an affordable, high-quality, modern edition complete with a specially commissioned new biography of the author.

Beginning with a detailed discussion of Conrad's ambivalence toward the function of language and the meaning of fiction, Ted Billy explores the problematical sense of an ending in Conrad's tales and novellas. Billy demonstrates that Conrad's endings, instead of reinforcing the meaning of the narrative or lending finality, actually provide a contrasting perspective that clashes with the narrative's general drift.

This Norton Critical Edition includes four stories—two set on stormy seas, two on calm seas, all four based on the same incident—that speak to each other in interesting ways. The stories in this Norton Critical Edition maintain the connection and sequencing that Joseph Conrad saw among them. In his “Author’s Note” to ‘Twixt Land and Sea, Conrad writes of his two “Calm-pieces” (“The Secret Sharer” and The Shadow-Line) and his two “Storm-pieces” (The Nigger of the “Narcissus” and “Typhoon”). This edition is based on the first English book edition for the stories and the first American edition for the “Author’s Note” for The Shadow-Line, “Typhoon,” and “The Secret Sharer.” The stories are accompanied by explanatory annotations, a note on the texts (including a list of textual emendations), and a preface. “Backgrounds and Contexts” brings together relevant correspondence and contemporary reviews from both British and American sources. Also included are documents related to Conrad’s sources for the stories, among them Charles Arthur Sankey’s “Ordeal of the Cutty Sark: A True Story of Mutiny, Murder on the High Seas.” To help readers navigate, the editor includes a glossary of nautical terms as well as diagrams of the kinds of ships that appear in the stories. “Criticism” includes fifteen essays representing both new and established voices. The essays are arranged by story, with the focus on Conrad’s major themes—colonialism, narrative, gender, and race. Albert J. Guerard, Lillian Nayder, Mark D. Larabee, Fredric Jameson, F. R. Leavis, and John G. Peters are among the contributors. A chronology of Conrad’s life and work and a selected bibliography are also included.