An analysis of Joseph Conrad stories/Joseph Conrad's stories

[rfrf]

There's a book that analyses a bunch of stories by Joseph Conrad, and I'm wondering what's the correct title between these two:

1. An analysis of Joseph Conrad's stories
2. An analysis of Joseph Conrad stories

I would go for 1 with the possessive, but someone mentioned that 2 works better here because 1 implies an analysis of all his stories. Could well be that 2 works better anyway, but the motivation doesn't sound entirely convincing to me.

What would be the correct option here?

Thanks!

 

[jutfrank]

First of all, neither works in the slightest as the main title of a book. The sentence you have in mind is a description of what the book is, so it could work as a subtitle. Titles are not descriptions.

Is it meant to be about his short stories? Or his novels? Or both? If it's it's both, the subtitle could be:

An Analysis of the Works of Joseph Conrad

If it's just about his short stories, then:

An Analysis of the Short Stories of Joseph Conrad

 

[Phlebas the Phoenician]

1. An analysis of Joseph Conrad's stories
2. An analysis of Joseph Conrad stories

. . . someone mentioned that . . . 1 implies an analysis of all his stories.

The phrase Joseph Conrad's stories does indeed refer to all of his stories (to his stories as a collectivity), whereas the phrase Joseph Conrad stories normally refers only to some of them, and does so refer in the context of 2. Consider that the underlined phrases in the following sentences both refer to some stories by Conrad:

3. Have you read any of Joseph Conrad's stories?
4. Have you read any Joseph Conrad stories?

However, in 3, it would be ungrammatical to delete of (any Joseph Conrad's stories), while in 4 it would be ungrammatical to add of (any of Joseph Conrad stories).