The Great Shadow

The Great Shadow

Author	Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Great Shadow, also known as The Great Shadow and other Napoleonic Tales, is an Action & Adventure novel published by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1892. The novel was published in J.W. Arrowsmith’s Bristol Library. The novel takes place in the Napoleonic era on the English-Scottish border city called West Inch. The Great Shadow refers to the Napoleon’s influence and his reputation that forms a shadow over West Inch.

Historical Background

Napoleon Bonaparte was a popular influence on many writers towards the end of the 19th century . Conan Doyle also developed a series of short stories entitled Brigadier Gerard. The series featured Etienne Gerard, a Hussar in the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Other writings by Conan Doyle involving the Napoleonic Era include Adventures of Gerard and Uncle Bernac.

Critical Reception

The novel received mixed reviews as far as content is concerned. A review published by The Anthneum acknowledges The Great Shadow as a “new vein” for Conan Doyle, but the specifics regarding parts of the Battle of Waterloo are questioned by the review, namely the specifics of Clinton’s 71st division and the questioning of how Jack and his comrades would be able to see some of the action considering they were half a mile away. Gilson Willets also acknowledges the significance of The Great Shadow when he combines it with Micah Clark, The White Company and The Refugees as four of the great novels of recent years.

Plot Summary

Instead of Sherlock Holmes being the main character, the story follows Jack Colder, who claims his only notable childhood experience was when he accidentally prevented a burglary during an attempt to escape a boarding school. This event caught Jim Horscroft and the two become friends. Once Jim goes off to medical school, Jack reunites with his cousin Edie, who found herself in a lot of money due to her father’s death. Jack takes a liking to Edie, but is deterred when Edie shows less enthusiasm and shows great attraction to me in battle. Upon hearing this, Jack insists that he will become a soldier despite both of his parents’ disapproval. Jack ultimately asks Edie to marry him. It is at this time that Jim returns to West Inch, and he quickly takes a liking to Edie, who seems much more attracted to Jim. When Jack reveals to Jim that the two are engaged he is quickly off put and sinks into depression combined with drunkenness. After a couple days, Jim recovers and is caught embracing Edie by Jack. The two argue and ultimately decide to have Edie choose. Edie chooses Jim and the two become engaged. The arrival of Lapp, a mystery French man r who arrives on a small ship interrupts the peace as he claimed to have been in a ship wreck and was traveling for three days lost at sea. Jack offers him food and a place to stay while Jim is a little more hesitant. The boys quickly realize Lapp is very rich and has many battle scores that are only outmatched by his endless war stories that charm everyone, including Edie. Lapp claims he is to stay there until he is needed. Lapp becomes a regular in the community, Jack suspects Lapp is a spy after he catches him sneaking around on multiple occasions. When Jim goes off to finish school and get his diploma, Edie reveals to Jack that she had married Lapp, and the next day Lapp leaves on a ship and reveals in a note that he actually is Bonaventure De Lissac who is Napolon’s aid. This angers Jim great as he learns Napoleon has escaped and is on the move. Jim offers his service to Major Elliot, to which Jack joins quickly. Major Elliot trains the boys as they prepare for the Battle of Waterloo. The French are described as having significant armor and were trained soldiers as opposed to the regiment Jack and Jim were a part of. The rest of the novel describes in vivid detail a soldier’s account of the Battle of Waterloo, with Jim and Jack walk from a half-mile away as the battle ensues before joining the battle at the very end. The ending of the book describes the French being defeated by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard von Blucher.

Themes

Love Triangle

The Jack makes numerous claims that Jim is his best, and frankly one of his only friends. However, it is clear from the beginning that Edie is going to infuse herself into the friendship, when she makes it glaringly obvious she is interested in Jim more than Jack. However this love triangle produces surprisingly small amount of conflict as the two boys eventually force Edie to choose, and upon her choosing of Jim, Jack respectfully steps down.

Male Camaraderie

The bond between Jim and Jack is obvious from the beginning of the novel. Jack’s narration is always very complimentary towards Jim, and his admiration of Jim is apparent. The friendship stands its fair share of conflict when Edie picks Jim over Jack, when Jim initially distrusts Lapp, and finally when Lapp leaves with Edie. Ultimately their friendship is put to the test when Jim decides to enlist in the army, which Jack immediately joins him in doing. This act is common in adventure novels in a sense of male comrades signing up for an adventure, and the other one joining. While this does occur later in the novel than customary, the sense of male camaraderie is very prevalent.

Heroism

The idea of heroism is certainly muddled in this novel. Heroism has a more classic definition of a strong and powerful warrior. This is backed up by Edie’s initial attraction to the soldiers who operate ships that enter their harbor. This leads to Jack wanting to join the army. Jim is the ideal candidate when it comes to heroism because he has a strong body and displays a certain amount of power, and this is reflected by Edie’s attraction. This all changes with the arrival of Lapp, whose many war stories immediately catch everyone’s attention, and ultimately Edie’s attention when the two get married and leave together. Finally this idea of heroism is shone in a different light during the Battle of Waterloo when it appears the French are initially the heroes with their grand experience and armor. However they were the defeated by the bravery and craftiness of the Duke of Wellington

Power of Wealth

Lapp is yet another example of a theme considering his wealth goes a long way in West Inch. His deep pockets get the attention of Jack’s father who lets him stay in one of the rooms in exchange for a hefty rent. Lapp’s wealth as well as his charm allows him to gain the trust of basically everyone in West Inch. Edie is another example with her wealth allowing her to basically do whatever she wants, which is best exemplified in her changing her mind from Jack to Jim, and then from Jim to Lapp in regards to her affections.