The Secret Agent: A Simple Tale
Joseph Conrad
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
Verloc's shop
What does Verloc's seedy shop in Soho tell you about him and his double life?
Keep the conversation going
- Whom is he really working for?
- Why does Winnie never ask questions?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
What does Verloc's seedy shop in Soho tell you about him and his double life?
Keep the conversation going
- Whom is he really working for?
- Why does Winnie never ask questions?
Why does Mr Vladimir want a bomb at Greenwich Observatory?
Keep the conversation going
- What does he mean by an attack on 'science'?
- What did you make of his contempt for Verloc?
How does Conrad portray the anarchists who meet at Verloc's shop?
Keep the conversation going
- Are any of them dangerous?
- What did you make of the Professor and his detonator?
Why does Stevie matter so much to Winnie, and what does Verloc do with him?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of Stevie's horror at cruelty, like the cabman's horse?
- How did you feel about what happens at Greenwich?
How do Chief Inspector Heat and the Assistant Commissioner differ in how they handle the case?
Keep the conversation going
- Who serves justice, and who serves himself?
- What does the novel suggest about the police?
How did you respond to Winnie's discovery of what happened to Stevie, and to what she does next?
Keep the conversation going
- Do you understand her?
- What has her marriage really been?
What did you make of Comrade Ossipon's response to Winnie?
Keep the conversation going
- Why does he abandon her?
- What does that say about him?
Conrad called it 'a simple tale'. Is it simple, and why does he tell it with such irony?
Keep the conversation going
- How did the irony affect your sympathy for the characters?
- Does the book feel relevant today?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.