Joseph Conrad 
The Shadow-Line 

The Shadow-Line Joseph Conrad – The Shadow-Line is a novel by Joseph Conrad that is based at sea. The novella has often been cited as a metaphor of the First World War, given its timing and references to a long struggle, the importance of camaraderie, etc. This viewpoint may also be reinforced by the knowledge that Conrad’s elder son, Borys, was wounded in the First World War. Others however see the novel as having a strong supernatural influence, referring to various plot-lines in the novella such as the ‘ghost’ of the previous captain potentially cursing the ship, and the madness of first mate Mr Burns.

About the author

Joseph Conrad (born Teodor Józef Konrad Korzeniowski, 3 December 1857 3 August 1924) was a Polish-born novelist. Some of his works have been labelled romantic: Conrad’s supposed ‘romanticism’ is heavily imbued with irony and a fine sense of man’s capacity for self-deception. Many critics regard Conrad as an important forerunner of Modernist literature. Conrad’s narrative style and anti-heroic characters have influenced many writers, including Ernest Hemingway, D.H. Lawrence, Graham Greene, Joseph Heller and Jerzy Kosinski, as well as inspiring such films as Apocalypse Now (which was drawn from Conrad’s Heart of Darkness).