New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-06-01
To Make You See

MY task Conrad once wrote .vh,A
am trying to achieve is, by the DOVE,
VI ehe written word, to make you hesr
10 make you feel-it is, before all =.
make you see.' That man is. ;nd..s
Diiho In soul as in vision to whom
1nls scene, as by conjurer's wand 4,
not made palpable as his very BODY
"Conrad's, however, is no mer. nb.-
tographer's skill. He can maks ~.
scenes impress the retina of the ann,
no less than of the eye by giving them
mat something which is bael;nv A.
and yet distinctive. which ..
call personality in men and atmS
sphere IN scenes. But Conrad.
strength is also his weakness n,
at times his descriptions become . ~,
Oh ao1ectlves and colorful substantive,
which produce upon the readers NINA
nothlng but brilliant blur. Sp.,
prodlgality recalls Ruskin's no.or,.r.
description of Turner's Slave Sb;n,~
garding which Thackeray remarked Ia,
ne wasn't certain whether 1t was sm
iime or merely ridiculous. In ga
mans case the fault was dus ~
touching, lavish and deliberate. uno,
winch ne fell back in that inevitabt.
hour OF doubt when the writer cr..
lions the authenticity of his ;nsn,r.
tlon and the devil tempts him T., ga.
TO support it by the deceptive pot.ncy
OF mere words.
CONSCIOUS Of his descriptive nov,
ers, Conrad loves TO induIc. +h.,.ls
IN his earlier work he was prom. I'll
forget that long descriptive passav.l|
fatigue the reader unless surcba,ssl|
with an immediate-.nd sus-ai,in.
human interest. This IS the cb;..
weakness of The Typhoon.' But bs|
mas learned an ampler wisdom since
and IN one of the most brilliant Of his
later descriptions he has succeeded in
combining the human interest with tn,
compelling attraction of the sea al
GAVIN. Freya Nelson has slipped out
upon the veranda Of her island homs
TO wave farewell to her lover. Jasper
Allen, as he passes aboard the Bonito:
lhe green islets appeared like J
Diack shadows, the ashen sea was
smooth as glass. the clear robe OF the s
colorless dawn, In which even the brig
appeared shadowy, had a hem Of light
IN tho east. Directly Freya had made
out Jasper on deck, with his own long
glass directed to the bungalow. she {
laid hers down and raised both he,
beautiful white arms above her head &
IN that attitude of supreme cry she
stood still, glowing with the conscious
ness OF Jasper's alteration going ou.
TO her figure held in the field Of his
glass. -. She brought both her hands
to her lips, then flung them ont, send.
Ing kiss over the sea, as If she wanted
to throw her heart along with It on
the deck Of the brig. Her face was i
rosy her eyes shone. :. .. The SLOWLY &
ascending sun brought the glory o.
color to tho world, turning the isless B
green, the sea blue, the brig below
her white-dazzlingly white in the
spread Of her wings-with the red en-
sign streaming like tiny fame fren
the peak. And each time she mur h
INJURED with q rising infection. TAKE II
this--and this-and this.-till sudden
" her arms fell. She had seen the
ensign dipped in response, and nszi
moment the point below hid the hull
Of the brig from her view Il
what color, what nerve. whs' b
harmony Of things animate and insss
innate, as II both brig and sea shares
in the youth and beauty and passies
Of the lovers!
"At the very outset of his storis'
Conrad gives US their setting. Be ~
beach. a tropical river, a swarm'ns
Malay village, he describes II opulens
~, infinitely, with q wealth Of sisn'n
can't detail which convinces US thss
his eye is upon the scene as no writes
There Is in his work an insisssn"
which reminds one Of Poe: Just IS re-
exerts q pressure upon the resae.
attention In order to achieve the I'VE
est effect Of his climax, so Corr.
throughout the course Of his ss"s
insists upon the reality Of its setts's
On occasions the pressure seems o'ss
done; again, IL Is so subtle as TO Icy
the reader unconscious of its pTcsen''
but all tho time it is there. In we's
as I suggested before. Conrad nae
genius for creating atmosphere.
that atmosphere is an essential o.
ytoYyS