Classics · ThoughtfulA young British seaman abandons a distressed passenger ship and spends years trying to live down the public censure
Lord Jim
A young seaman who left a ship in danger tries to redeem himself
Jim is a young British seaman who abandons a distressed passenger ship and is publicly censured. The novel follows his attempts to come to terms with his past and gain acceptance. Captain Charles Marlow tells most of the story to a group of listeners, and the settings move from a steamer bound for a Red Sea port to the fictional village of Patusan, presumed to be in the Indonesian archipelago, where Jim makes a new start. It was serialized in Blackwood's Magazine from October 1899 to November 1900, and William Blackwood & Sons published the book in 1900.
More about this book
Who
Jim, Captain Charles Marlow, who narrates, Stein, Jewel, Cornelius, Doramin and Gentleman Brown.
World
Southeast Asian waters in the late 19th century, and the fictional village of Patusan.
What makes it different
The opening incident is loosely based on the 1880 abandonment of the SS Jeddah. Stein is partly based on Alfred Russel Wallace.
Feel
Slow and brooding.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Lord JimWikipedia