Research Proposal for MA by Research, by Ricky Bennison

A study of characterisation methods and the use of in-text analogy in the novels and short stories of
Joseph Conrad

The focus of this research proposal is on characterisation in the novels and short stories of Joseph
Conrad. This was also the focus of my undergraduate dissertation and I hope to build upon my
previous findings; of greatest importance was the discovery of a narrative technique employed by
Conrad, called an in-text analogy. The presence of this technique is not yet fully proven but I think
there are convincing elements within Conrad’s work which can be interpreted as demonstrating it. As
a technique, it is considered to be when a character interacts with story elements which are analogous
representations of aspects of their own psychology. More generally considered, the analogy represents
other parts of the same narrative, as opposed to real life outside of the text. These story elements are
usually other characters, although not necessarily, and the situational context which hosts the
interaction may also be significant in representing the analogy i.e. the environment may be an
analogous representation of the character. In-text analogy, as yet a fledgling term, can be a difficult
technique to identify and it is perhaps easiest to do so with direct examples.
The focus of my undergraduate dissertation identified it in Lord Jim and Heart of Darkness. For
instance, in Lord Jim when Jim is living in Patusan he is shown to be interacting with analogous
representations of his own psychology in regard to the Patna disaster. This is demonstrated in various
ways and perhaps most overtly by his interaction with Gentleman Brown. Gentleman Brown is
portrayed in the novel as being in possession of a greedy survival instinct, which can be interpreted as
an analogous representation of Jim’s guilt for abandoning the Patna; by interacting with Brown, Jim is
interacting with a representation of a part of his own psychology, namely his guilt for abandoning the
Patna. After the narrative interaction between Jim and Brown, including consideration of their
commonality to one another and the massacre of Doramin’s people by Brown, Jim then finishes in a
position where he can accept responsibility for his failings and take the responsibility he divested
himself of so emphatically when abandoning the Patna; this results in him seemingly regaining his
honour at the expense of his life, contrarily to his abandonment of the Patna. The inclusion of the in-
text analogy has enabled Conrad to show Jim working through his own psychological complexes and
reaching some form of conclusion which was preferential to himself; this meant taking responsibility
for his decisions and his actions.
The interpretation of an in-text analogy does not act to supersede, or deny, other interpretations and
this is especially the case in regard to the classic storytelling mode, where an individual can be
considered to be solely representative of themselves, and to be interacting with other characters and
their environment, which thereby allows for their character progression. On this basis, their new
psychological state would simply be a result of their character interaction and changing situation. This
is a valid and correct interpretation, and so the additional presence of the in-text analogy technique
means that there is a deliberately structured dual narrative, involving both the classic storytelling
mode and an in-text analogy which runs in parallel. An example of this may be found in Heart of
Darkness. Kurtz’s realpolitik with the native chiefs can be considered as his character interaction with
the local tribes, taking into account his and their situation, purpose and so forth. Considered as an in-
text analogy, it can be considered that Kurtz’s realpolitik with the native chiefs is representative of his
own psychological adjustment; as he reorders the native chiefs into his war party, he also reorders his
psychology to that of a warrior, moralistic considerations withstanding. On this basis, it can be seen
how the external events of the novel analogously represent Kurtz’s internal psychological change i.e.
his reordering of the native chiefs into a war party, represents the militaristic reordering of his own

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psychology. By interacting with the external events, he is shown to be interacting with a
representation of his own psychology.
Other examples where the technique of in-text analogy may be interpreted include The Secret
Sharer and The Lagoon. In The Secret Sharer the escaped chief mate, Leggatt, from the Sephora may
be interpreted as a representation of the psychological escapism of the Captain, which he experiences
when he gets to enjoy the privacy of his own company in his cabin; the significance of this privacy
may be related to living in confined quarters with the same people for an extended period of time, as
on a ship, and to a sense of frustration which can emerge from this.
In The Lagoon, the departure of the white man may be considered as being representative of the
departure of Arsat’s guilt as he revisits a point of psychological consideration in regard to his
brother’s death. For instance, and approximately stated, Arsat’s wife dies of fever. Arsat had
previously abandoned his brother in order to escape with her. When she dies, Arsat revisits the
psychological trauma of the abandonment of his brother; it can be assumed that when his wife was
alive, the psychological connotations associated with the previous choice continued, and he did not
think about his brother. When she dies he then thinks about his brother again; apparently because his
choosing of his wife is no longer applicable to his psychology in the same way anymore, and so he no
longer turns his back on his brother, mentally speaking. As Arsat undergoes this process of
psychological readjustment, the white man leaves. On this basis, it can be considered that Arsat’s
revisiting of his previous decision to abandon his brother represents the beginning of some form of
psychological healing process, and a release of guilt, and that this process is externally represented by
the departure of the white man. The example of this short story is significant because it clearly
presents two important elements which appear to often occur in in-text analogies: precedent, and a
threshold experience.
Briefly speaking, the element of precedent refers to a character having an experience which the in-
text analogy then refers to. So the in-text analogy must be based upon a preceding experience; finding
out what this experience is, is important in identifying the analogy.
The idea of a threshold experience, refers to an experience which causes, or occurs in conjunction
with, a character moving through a psychological threshold. This process may occur very suddenly,
such as with Jim’s jump from the Patna, or be protracted such as with Kurtz’s longer change to
become a dictatorial ruler; either way, there is an observable process of change and the character’s
psychology can be identified as being significantly different after this process has occurred. This
threshold experience is revisited later in the novel via the analogy, and on this basis the experience
helps form the foundations for the analogy. For instance, Jim’s jump from the Patna represents the
threshold experience; his subsequent interaction with Brown in conjunction with his circumstances in
Patusan, allows him to revisit the threshold experience by revisiting an analogous representation of it.
The investigation into Conrad’s usage of in-text analogy will also be supported by a study of more
common methods of character development; the ambition being to understand how these may help to
support the construction of the analogy. Some of the major areas of focus will be:

 The progression of character and environment. More specifically, how they are developed in
conjunction with each other. Does either alter in such a way that it is representative of the
other? Can the change of one be considered to represent the change of the other? Perhaps in a
similar way to how Kurtz’s journey up the river represents his psychological progression.
 The interaction of different characters, and whether one character can be considered as
representative of the psychology of the other- as opposed to just serving to stimulate the
other’s character psychology.

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Establishing how these elements occur in the novel may be important in charting the development of
the in-text analogy. In addition to this, the study of them also provides a useful backup if the in-text
analogy technique cannot be proven, meaning that important research into characterisation methods
and narrative development has still been undertaken. In a similar vein, even if I could not prove
Conrad had used the technique himself, as a literary device it is valid in its own right and potentially
valuable as a creative writing technique. As well as this, it may be transferable to other mediums such
as theatre, film, computer games and so forth.
There is some effective criticism of Conrad’s work available, and I have previously engaged with
the work of Peter Brooks, Christopher L. Miller, Albert J. Guerard, and William Deresiewicz. I plan
to continue to engage with these critics whilst also engaging with more recent research, such as that
published in association with the Joseph Conrad Society. I think ideas such as sympathetic
identification*, and ordering systems**, discussed by Guerard and Brooks respectively, may be
pertinent to the study of in-text analogy. Sympathetic identification is generally considered in regard
to Marlow and a protagonist, but I see no reason why it should not be considered more generally to
understand relationships between other characters; from this point it may be possible to use it to
substantiate the theory of in-text analogy. Brooks’ discussion on ordering systems was considered
more in regard to a social order being constructed within Heart of Darkness, involving different
cultural and national considerations, however, the concept of ordering may be re-deployed to
investigate how different characters are ordered in regard to each other; certainly the chronological
and spatial (proxemic) ordering of their interactions is important in identifying how the analogy
works. I will also study the letters and other writings of Conrad in an attempt to find direct references
to the technique or other substantiating evidence.
For the final dissertation, I think the structure can reasonably be planned as consisting of a 5,000
word introduction, four 5,000 word main chapters, and a 5,000 word conclusion. The four main
chapters will be on Lord Jim; Heart of Darkness; one other longer Conrad novel such as Nostromo or
The Secret Agent; and a fourth chapter on The Secret Sharer and The Lagoon and one or two other
short stories- this chapter will go into less depth for each of its stories. This should give me a good
selection of stories with which to consistently prove the presence of the in-text analogy technique.
The research training I have received was via taught classroom lessons on a Dissertation module,
and by meeting with my supervisor. In terms of research techniques, the ones I have been taught and
practiced previously include close reading (the detailed study of texts and individual passages),
bibliographic research (researching and locating books and articles which were pertinent to the topic),
article and criticism research (after finding pertinent articles, studying them closely and deciding on
which arguments were the most useful or could be engaged with the most effectively), supervisor
feedback (this related to advice on workload, prospective sources and texts, how to make the
dissertation appear more relevant, and overall structure). In terms of facilities, I have mainly used
libraries (including the British Library reading room), online databases (EBSCOhost, Jstor). I have
attended research seminars and presentations at the University of Greenwich- these were not English
literature based but were useful in the sense that I was engaging with a culture of research and the
transference of information. I have also attended various literature based events, such as theatre
shows, British library galleries, and poetry recitals.
I think that with a solid year of research and the writing of a 30,000 word dissertation, I can make
considerable progress into investigating whether Conrad was using the technique of in-text analogy.
Assuming all goes well, I hope to then be in a position to further develop this research at PHD level.

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Bibliography
**Brooks, Peter, ‘An Unreadable Report: Conrad’s Heart of Darkness’ in New Casebooks Joseph
Conrad, London: Macmillan, 1996, pp. 67-86
Conrad, Joseph, Heart of Darkness, London: Norton, 2006
Conrad, Joseph, Lord Jim, London: Norton, 1996
Conrad, Joseph, The Lagoon in Selected Short Stories & The Rover, Ware: Wordsworth, pp. 25-36
Conrad, Joseph, The Secret Sharer in Selected Short Stories & The Rover, Ware: Wordsworth, pp.
177-211
*Guerard, Albert J., ‘Lord Jim’ in Conrad, Joseph, Lord Jim, London: Norton, 1996, pp. 397-423