by IAN WATT, Professor of English at Stanford University, California
Since 1948, when F. R. Leavis called The Secret Agent ' one of Conrad's two supreme masterpieces,' this hitherto neglected novel has attracted much critical attention. Professor Watt. author of The Rise o/ the Novel, examines this body of often sharply conflicting criticism and explains why he regards the book as a peculiarly contemporary work and a precursor of modern black humour.