Chance: A Tale in Two Parts
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âBeing a woman is a terribly difficult trade since it consists principally of dealings with men.ââJoseph Conrad, Chance
Flora de Barral, the daughter of a bankrupt businessman and swindler, must find her own way in the world when her father is convicted of financial speculation. Unfortunately, this is no easy thing for a single and vulnerable young woman in turn-of-the-century London.
Originally published serially starting in 1912, Chance is told chiefly by Conradâs regular narrator, Charles Marlow, who is helped along by some other very observant characters. Together, these narrators unfold the story of Floraâs desperate attempts to navigate society and contend with the difficulties of forever relying on the compassion of others for her welfare, a compassion that rarely comes without certain strings attached.
Flora must find a way to maintain her dignity and find happiness in a world that, frankly, does not seem to want her to have either. A commercial success thanks to Conradâs timely focus on âthe New Womanâ and his exploration of the new fad of financial speculation, Chance explores what a woman can and must do in such a world when she has âno resources but in herself. Her only means of action is to be what she is.â
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Joseph Conrad (JÃŗzef Teodor Konrad Nalecz Korzeniowski) (1857â1924) was born in Ukraine. Raised by an uncle after the death of his parents, he educated himself by reading widely in Polish and French. At age twenty-one he began a long career sailing the seas on French merchant vessels, after which he went to London and began writing, using the romance and adventure of his own life for his incomparable sea novels.
Claire Bloom, CBE, is an English film and stage actress, known for leading roles in plays such as Streetcar Named Desire, A Dollâs House, and Long Dayâs Journey into Night, along with nearly sixty films and countless television roles, during a career spanning over six decades. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2013 Queenâs birthday honors for services to drama.
Stefan Rudnicki is a Grammy-winning audiobook producer and a multiaward-winning narrator, named one of AudioFileâs Golden Voices.
