Nov 14, 2009

Il Conde | Characters

The cast is even more limited than in most Conrad short stories, partly because of Conrad's economical manner of telling the tale. Nevertheless, the narrator, the count, and the robber are all vividly characterized. The narrator is an articulate and perceptive man, apparently an Englishman who enjoys visiting Naples. Although he has no personal involvement in the story, except for his sympathetic friendship with the count, he evinces several interesting qualities: attentive observation, shrewd judgment, and the ability to empathize with others. His description of the count as a "fairly...