1900s: Writers such as Conrad and Henry James write stylized stones emphasizing introspective and highly self-conscious, albeit often unreliable, narrators.

1990s: This tradition is continued today in such writers as V. S. Naipaul, who is often compared to Conrad. Naipaul is considered a psychological and social realist.

1900s: The late 1800s sees the rise of the science of psychology, and Sigmund Freud popularizes the concept of the unconscious and the practice of psychoanalysis. Human behavior is thought to stem from unconscious thoughts and conflicts.

1990s: Psychology is an established discipline, although Freud's theories are largely considered unscientific. Modern theories seek to explain human behavior in terms of organic and physical causes.

1900s: Life on the high seas is dangerous but highly romanticized as an opportunity for adventure to working-class men.

1990s: The mystique of a sea-faring life has largely disappeared with the advent of...