Fritz Lorch Book order (chronological)

When Lord Jim first appeared in 1900, many took Joseph Conrad to task for couching an entire novel in the form of an extended conversation--a ripping good yarn, if you like. Conrad defended his method, insisting that people really do talk for that long, and listen as well. In fact his chatty masterwork requires no defense--it offers up not only linguistic pleasures but a timeless exploration of morality. The eponymous Jim is a young, good-looking, genial, and naive water-clerk on the Patna, a cargo ship plying Asian waters. He is, we are told, "the kind of fellow you would, on the strength of his looks, leave in charge of the deck." He also harbors romantic fantasies of adventure and heroism--which are promptly scuttled one night when the ship collides with an obstacle and begins to sink. Acting on impulse, Jim jumps overboard and lands in a lifeboat, which happens to be bearing the unscrupulous captain and his cohorts away from the disaster. The Patna, however, manages to stay afloat. The foundering vessel is towed into port--and since the officers have strategically vanished, Jim is left to stand trial for abandoning the ship and its 800 passengers.

Set during a weekend party at the Newmarch estate, the narrative features a first-person narrator who observes unsettling transformations among the guests. As he notes the decline of a graceful woman and the newfound charm of a previously dull man, he becomes obsessed with the idea of life force exchanges among them. This exploration of human dynamics and the complexities of social interactions showcases Henry James at his artistic peak, blending psychological insight with the peculiarities of character development.

Joseph Conrad, der "Tragiker des Westens", thematisiert in seinen Werken Einsamkeit, Verrat und Treue. Seine Erzählungen, darunter die novellenartigen Stücke in 'Im Wechsel der Gezeiten', spielen in vertrauten fernöstlichen Regionen und London. Sie zeigen vielfältige Charaktere und dramatische Momente menschlichen Verhaltens.