The Shadow Line : A Confession

The Shadow-Line is a short novel based at sea by Joseph Conrad; it is one of his later works, being written from February to December..

It was first published in as a serial in New York's Metropolitan Magazine in the English Review and published in book form in 1917 in the UK (March) and America.

The novella depicts the development of a young man upon taking a captaincy in the Orient, with the shadow line of the title representing the threshold of this developmenThe novel has often been cited as a metaphor of the First World War, given its timing and references to a long struggle and the importance of camaraderie.

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.

Conrad himself, however, denied this link in his 'Author's Note'