The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale

The rise of anarchism, socialism, and communism (often lumped together, but seldom representing a single philosophy or movement) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the first wave of stateless terrorism in Western capitalist societies. While fingers were pointed in many ethnic and nationalistic directions, the terror from which this political force takes its name was as real then as it is today. Conrad's "simple tale" is a fiction in which the motives, mind, and material method of this first wave of terror are central to the story and the plot. But is "The Secret Agent" really about terrorism? Conrad is a much better writer with a much different agenda than just telling a fictionalized account of a contemporary news story. As the assistant police commissioner recounts to the political authority to whom he is reporting (p. 182 of the Modern Library edition): "From a certain point of view we are here in the presence of a domestic drama." And in that aspect, The Secret Agent" is anything but simple. But "Secret Agent" is most read and mentioned today for its almost prophetic foresight about the wave of terrorism lose in the world after September 11, 2001. Indeed this Modern Library edition was published in 2004, with an introduction and an afterward which directly reference the novel's position in relation to the events of that day. Without 9/11, it is unlikely that this edition would have appeared when it did, if at all, and many readers, myself included, would likely have bypassed earlier editions in ignorance. How prophetic is Conrad's vision? The afterward provides a dense assessment of the post 9/11 response to Conrad's vision, which I will leave to you to decipher and decide. Here, I have included some pointed quotes from Conrad that I found strongly resonant in their enlightenment--and, in the last quote, their warning about the applicability of prophecy to terror: The target (p. 25): "a series of outrages executed here in this country . . . Must be sufficiently startling--effective. Let them be directed against buildings, for instance." The terrorist (p. 38): "A band of men absolute in their resolve to discard all scruples in the choice of means, strong enough to give themselves frankly the name of destroyers, and free from the taint of that resigned pessimism which rots the world. No pity for anything on earth, including themselves, and death enlisted for good and all in the service of humanity." The futility of policing (p. 55): "I shall never be arrested. The game isn't good enough for any policeman of them all. To deal with a man like me you require sheer, naked, inglorious heroism." The susceptibility of the United States to terrorism (p. 60-61): "They have more character over there, and their character is essentially anarchistic. Fertile ground for us, the States--very good ground. The great Republic has the root of the destructive matter in her. The collective temperament is lawless. Excelle

This book makes me sick because it contains few actions but many, even too, too many descriptions on these too few actions although the author was able to use so many uncommon words to show his ability in describing something. Such endless descriptions are tortures for anyone who reads this 5-page action novel. I really wonder if I need to read other books by this author.

First a comment about this remarkable Modern Library Edition - it has an absurd introduction by Robert Kaplan, which is deliciously skwered in an Afterword by the volume's editor, Peter Mallios. Kaplan reads Conrad's book with all the sophistication one brings to a Tom Clancy novel, claiming to draw insight into how the modern state has to defend itself. In reality, Conrad clearly was condemning the police in the novel for wanting to put an 'enemy of the state' in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Ignore the media frenzy - don't read this book for insight into 9-11 or Osama bin Laden, because, if you're a serious reader, you really won't find much there. Read this book because it is an excellent early Modernist novel, filled with beautifully crafted language, and themes, forms, and techniques that became key elements of mature Modern literature.

Joseph Conrad's novel, "The Secret Agent" is based on a real-life incident that occurred in Greenwich in 1894. Conrad's novel is built around the known facts of that case and concerns an agent who works for the Russian embassy. The agent, the anarchist Verloc, was well respected when he worked for Baron Stott-Wartenheim, but times have changed. When Verloc is summoned to the embassy, he receives a cold reception from his new superior, Vladimir. Vladimir tells Verloc that he's going to have to start producing or he'll lose the wages he receives. A humiliated Verloc is shocked when he receives orders to blow up Greenwich Observatory. Verloc has been living a double game for some time, and he also provides information to the British police. He married Winnie, the daughter of his landlady after Winnie's relationship with another man collapsed. Verloc and Winnie now run a small shop together, and Winnie is completely ignorant of Verloc's political activities. She's quite aware that several shady characters come and go, but she doesn't ask questions. Winnie's emotionally damaged brother, Stevie also lives with the Verlocs. While Verloc imagines that Winnie loves him for himself, the truth is that Winnie married him for stability. By marrying Verloc, Winnie thinks she's assuring a safe home for Stevie, and so for her the marriage is a silent, unspoken pact. Verloc provides a home, and she, in return, is a good, uncomplaining wife. When tragedy strikes in the most unexpected way, the Verloc household is thrown into turmoil. Conrad's novel explores the theme of the individual vs. political beliefs through the tragedy of his characters. Most of the characters within the novel are unpleasant--for Verloc, the 'cause' is secondary to his own skin, but he's willing to sacrifice another to maintain the status quo. Verloc's fellow conspirators are shown to be dismissive of the human race, and careless of any damage caused to the individual (except themselves). Everyone uses each other, and there's a hierarchy even in the police force that promotes use of individuals as long as they provide information. The two 'nicest' characters in the novel are also those who possess no political ideals whatsoever--Winnie and her brother, Stevie. These siblings are bound by the memory of an abusive childhood--Winnie's main desire in life is to protect Stevie, and he can't stand violence or cruelty in any form. These two innocents meet a horrible fate as the result of the 'high' political ideals of others. The novel is not an easy read. I found the story a little difficult to get into until the drama picked up--this was largely due to Conrad's writing style that is often quite stilted by its excessive verbosity. However, that said, once the drama unfolded, I was unable to put the book down until I finished the final page. The characterizations of Verloc and Winnie are fascinating, dark and bleak. Married for years, the events of one day show how little they understand one

At the end of the novel Comrade Ossipon says, "An impenetrable mystery...this act of madness or despair." He is thinking about what Winnie has done. He cannot fathom it. The novel is unfathomable too; dense, twisting, sordid, ironic. There are some great scenes in this book. At the end, Verloc thinks Winnie truly loves him when in fact she doesn't, and never has; she had always loved the butcher. The horse scene where Stevie pets the old mistreated horse also comes to mind. The only character Conrad has sympathy for is Stevie, and he gets blown to bits. Stevie is the only one who can truly show love. Ironically, he's mentally retarded. Everyone else is manipulative and calculating. The book was published in 1906, some 50 or so years after Das Capital, The Communist Manifesto, etc. were published. Europe was swarming with "revolutionists" and "anarchists." Journalists were writing about "the people" and "the masses" and "social justice." Conrad was no dummy. He analyzed what was going on around him in England, France, Germany, etc., then he wrote this book as an "answer" to the socialists, anarchists. This is probably one of the most supremely ironical novels ever written. Stevie's demise is meaningless; there is absolutely no sense or purpose to it. The anarchist world in the novel is meaningless, peopled by sordid, parasitic rabble-rousers and journalists. Even Heat, the Assistant Commissioner, Sir Ethelred, the Assistant Commissioner's wife, the lady patroness, the "good side"--none of them without guilt. They too are schemers, calculating their social advancement. Like a coin, they are just the flip side of the socialits'. The whole society is corrupt, socialist and police alike. In repugnance, Conrad just blows up the whole damn mess. And how ironically does he do it! He blows up the only redeeming thing in that society, a retarded boy who loves without calculation, who goes into emotional fits when witnessing any gratuitous cruelty--cruelty even shown to animals. Dark novel. Great book!