The nigger of the Narcissus an authoritative text backgrounds and sources reviews and criticism

Synopsis

Corrections and emendations have beenmade on the basis of a thorough collation of all extant versions of thenovel. The text is annotated and is followed by a detailed TextualAppendix consisting of materials on the textual history and presenttext, a list of textual variants, a glossary of nautical terms,illustrations showing details essential to an understanding of thenovel, and an essay written especially for this edition by DenisMurphy, explaining the seamanship used during the storm in ChapterThree.

"Backgrounds and Sources" begins with Conrad’s "Preface," whichoriginally appeared as an afterword in the fifth magazine installmentof the novel but was suppressed in the early book editions. The"Preface" is accompanied by a Textual History and Textual Notesprepared by Thomas Lavoie, and a critical essay by Ian Watt.

Also provided are Conrad’s preface "To my American Readers" (1914) aswell as extracts from letters and essays in which Conrad comments onthe ship and the story, and biographical pieces by Edward Garnett(Conrad’s informal literary agent and advisor) and G. Jean-Aubry (hisfirst formal biographer). The section closes with an essay by GeraldMorgan, written for this edition, about the actual ship Narcissus andConrad’s connection to her.

"Contemporary Reviews" is followed by critical essays (some writtenespecially for this edition) by Albert Guerard, Ian Watt, Norris W.Yates, Gerald Morgan, Donald T. Torchiana, John E. Saveson, SanfordPinsker, Robert Foulke, William W. Bonney, John Howard Weston, Paul L.Wiley, and Eugene B. Redmond