More than a Voice from the Darkness: Charlie Marlow and the Posture of an Invented Author

Abstract

This article argues that literary criticism has long overlooked the mimetic features of Joseph Conrad’s Charlie Marlow. Building on the work of critics like Bernard Paris, it examines Marlow as an autonomous ‘invented author’ who develops throughout his various appearances in Conrad’s work. By fusing Jerome Meizoz’s theories on author postures with Algirdas Julien Greimas’ pragmatic semiotic square, this article investigates the construction of Marlow’s author posture in relation to the dichotomous theme Solidarity–Solitariness in Conrad’s ‘Youth’, Heart of Darkness, Lord Jim and Chance. The author argues that Marlow continually takes up a posture that is not ‘fixed’, a posture of in-betweenness with which he tries to avoid rigid socio-political structures, actively using this posture not only to locate himself in the novel’s world, but also to influence those around him. Conrad uses Marlow to examine the workings of authorship, the function and place of language in society and its effectiveness in conveying particular philosophical attitudes.