The Shadow-Line is a short novel based at sea by Joseph Conrad; it is one of his later works, being written from February to December 1915.

The full, subtitled title of the novel is The Shadow-Line, A Confession, which immediately alerts the reader to the retrospective nature of the novella.

Conrad also extensively uses irony by comparison in the work, with characters such as Captain Giles and the ship's 'factotum' Ransome used to emphasise strengths and weaknesses of the protagonist.

Others however see the novel as having a strong supernatural influence, referring to various plot-lines in the novella such as the 'ghost' of the previous captain potentially cursing the ship, and the madness of first mate Mr Burns.

In the 2004 novel (translation 2005) House of Paper by Carlos Maria Dominguez the plot is driven by the narrator's quest for the person who sent a copy of The Shadow Line to a recently deceased colleague.