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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Revolutionary violence and political killings; the historical brutality of South American revolution
Language
Some
Formal literary prose; some period language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Minimal sexual content; adult relationships in the colonial setting
Substance Use
Barely any
Some drinking in the period setting
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological disintegration of idealism through complicity — how a man's incorruptibility becomes a prison — is Conrad's sustained and masterful subject
What this book is about
Conrad's vast novel is set in the fictional South American country of Costaguana, whose silver mine becomes the focal point of political revolution and foreign interest. At its center is Charles Gould, the mine's owner, and Nostromo — the 'our man' — the beloved capataz de cargadores whose one act of corruption becomes his obsession. Conrad writes with extraordinary complexity; the novel is considered one of the finest in the English language, though it demands patient and experienced readers. The violence of revolution and the psychological corruption of idealism are its sustained subjects.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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