Conrad's Charlie Marlow A New Approach to "Heart of Darkness" and Lord Jim

by Paris, Bernard J.

• ISBN13: 9781403969897
• ISBN10: 1403969892
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-01-22
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

Whereas Marlow has usually been discussed as a literary device who is of no special interest in himself, this study argues that Conrad portrays Marlow and his relationships with a psychological depth that is unsurpassed in literature. In "Youth," "Heart of Darkness," and Lord Jim , he is a continuously-evolving character whose thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are expressions of his personality and experience. Understanding Marlow's motivations newly illuminates the formal complexity and thematic richness of these works, for his inner conflicts profoundly affect the structure of his narrations, his interactions with his auditors, and the elusive meanings of his tales.

Author Biography

Bernard Paris is Emeritus Professor of English and former Director of the Institute for Psychological Study of the Arts at the University of Florida.

Table of Contents

Preface	viii
Note	xi
Introduction	1	(8)
Part I	9	(64)
Young Marlow	11	(8)
The Journey to the Inner Station	19	(18)
Marlow and Kurtz	37	(18)
Marlow the Narrator	55	(18)
Part II	73	(96)
Conrad's Jim	75	(11)
Marlow's Initial Response to Jim	86	(14)
Marlow Becomes Jim's Ally	100	(11)
Marlow's Inner Conflicts	111	(17)
Jim as a Mimetic Character	128	(17)
Marlow on Jim in Patusan	145	(15)
Where Does Conrad Stand in Lord Jim?	160	(9)
References	169	(2)
Index	171