Youth, Heart of Darkness, and The End of the Tether

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) is regarded as one of the greatest novelist in the English language, though he did not speak the language fluently until he was in his twenties.

A Polish-born English novelist, Conrad was a master prose stylist who is viewed as a precursor of modernist literature.

He wrote stories and novels predominantly with a nautical or seaboard setting that portray trials of the human spirit by the demands of duty and honor. "e;Youth"e; was written in 1898 and was included as the first story in the 1902 volume "e;Youth, a Narrative, and Two Other Stories"e;.

It is an autobiographical short story, essentially a quest tale, which tests the youthful Marlow's nerve, strength and patience on his journey to becoming a man.

Also included in this volume, "e;Heart of Darkness"e; exposes the dark side of European colonization while exploring the levels of darkness that the protagonist, Marlow, encounters.

Last in this volume, "e;The End of the Tether"e; tells a story of a legally blind captain who must continue to pilot his ship in order to provide for his family.