An informative survey of Conrad's canon re-envisioned through the concepts of contemporary cognitive science. Ruppel uses neuroscientific theories lucidly and responsibly to explore the relation between Conrad's understanding of consciousness, his narrative techniques, and his metaphysical vision.

Paul B. Armstrong, Professor Emeritus of English, Brown University, USA, and author of Stories and the Brain: The Neuroscience of Narrative (2020)

Ruppel makes a compelling case that Conrad's major fiction embodies an intuitive understanding of consciousness, trauma, and identity, claiming that the author anticipates scientific concepts including PTSD, Bayesian integration, and autism spectrum disorder. This is a scholarly, rigorous, and revelatory contribution to both Conrad studies and the growing field of cognitive literary studies.

Kim Salmons, Associate Professor of Modern Literature, St Mary's University, UK

Bringing together a historicist-contextual and a cognitivist approach to Conrad's work, Ruppel's work is an immensely valuable addition to any collection of Conrad studies. The dynamics of individual consciousness, the impact of trauma, and the enduring human need for a sense of coherence and meaning-making are explored in this book through a series of illuminating interpretations of the major novels and several short stories. The complexity of the theoretical frameworks and of the subject matter notwithstanding, Ruppel approaches both in a lucid, accessible discussion, which makes this book not only instructive and enlightening, but also – not trivially – a real pleasure to read.

Daphna Erdinast-Vulcan, Professor Emeritus of English Literature, University of Haifa, Israel