Duel

Duel Synopsis

Joseph Conrad's novella "e;The Duel"e; regards the story of Lieutenant Gabriel Feraud, a fervent Bonapartist and obsessive duelist. Following a near fatal duel with the nephew of the mayor of Strasborg, Lieutenant Armand d'Hubert is sent to put Feraud under house arrest. This confrontation sets in motion a series of indecisive duels between the two over the course of the next several years.

Conrad's "e;The Duel"e; is based upon the real life events of two French Hussar officers named Dupont and Fournier-Sarloveze, who over the course of nineteen years fought over thirty duels. Set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars, the conflict between the two men is a gripping period piece in which Conrad constructs an analogy to the conflict of all men.