A 'Modern' Amongst the 'Standards': Conrad in the Classroom

Conrad's modernity had a significant but overlooked educational dimension. Though school editions of his fiction have received little critical attention, these were instrumental in promoting his work amongst teachers and educationalists. This article opens with a consideration of the "Newbolt Report" (1921), a document testifying to Conrad's significance in the classroom in a progressive period for the teaching of English literature. Focusing on the publication of Youth and Gaspar Ruiz in Dent's "Kings Treasuries" series, the article also explores Conrad's misgivings about "school books," and his aversion to the use of literature for pedagogic purposes. Despite this, and as his 1922 interview for the Teachers World reveals, Conrad was championed as a modern writer for the modern classroom, ensuring his place in an educational, as well as literary, canon.