A Set of Six is a collection of six works of short fiction by

Joseph Conrad Joseph Conrad (born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, ; 3 December 1857 – 3 August 1924) was a Poles in the United Kingdom#19th century, Polish-British novelist and short story writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest writers in t ...

, each appearing in literary journals between 1906 and 1908. The works were collected in ''A Set of Six'', published in 1908 by

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Stories

The works in the collection first appeared in literary journals: “Gaspar Ruiz” (''

Pall Mall Magazine ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' was a monthly British literary magazine published between 1893 and 1914. Begun by William Waldorf Astor as an offshoot of ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', the magazine included poetry, short stories, serialized fiction, and ge ...

'', July–October 1906)
“The Brute” ('' Daily Chronicle'', December 5, 1906)
“An Anarchist” (''

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'', August 1906)
“The Informer” (''

'', December 1906)
“Il Conde” (''

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'', August 1908)
“ The Duel” ('' The Pall Mall Magazine'', January–May 1908)

Background

Conrad, at the age of 44, embarked on his first major literary project,

Nostromo ''Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard'' is a 1904 novel by Joseph Conrad, set in the fictitious South American republic of "Costaguana". It was originally published serially in monthly instalments of '' T.P.'s Weekly''. In 1998, the Modern Libra ...

, completed and published in 1904. In composing ''Nostromo'', Conrad sought to present a broader social landscape in his work. The subject of his early writing, involving “moral dramas tested by the unfamiliar menace of a primitive world” were in abeyance during this period. Between October 1902 and November 1905, Conrad wrote no short fiction. When he returned to writing short stories, Conrad regarded these as “instruments for raising money quickly” rather than serious literary endeavors. In a letter to Sir

Algernon Methuen Sir Algernon Marshall Stedman Methuen, Baronet (23 February 1856 – 20 September 1924) was an English publishing, publisher and a teacher of Classics and French language, French. He is best known for founding the publishing company Methuen Publ ...

in January 1908, Conrad explained his approach to writing the material in ''A Set of Six'': The stories in A Set of Six contrast with his earlier short fiction in that they are neither autobiographical or based on first-hand experience. Literary critic Laurence Graver notes that a central theme in his earliest stories, namely, the conflict between “egoism and altruism” is largely absent in this collection: “a new emphasis is placed on love and humor, two elements Conrad seemed to think were indispensable in popular fiction.”Graver, 1969 p. 124, p. 147: “...commercial stories…”

Footnotes

Sources

*Baines, Jocelyn. 1960. ''Joseph Conrad: A Critical Biography'', McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. *Graver, Laurence. 1969. ''Conrad’s Short Fiction''.

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, Berkeley, California. * Guerard, Albert J. 1965. ''Conrad: The Novelist''.

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

, Cambridge, Massachusetts. LOC Catalog Card Number 58-8995. {{DEFAULTSORT:Set of Six, A 1900s short story collections British short story collections Short story collections by Joseph Conrad