Narrator

Almayer

Almayer is a central figure in the narrator's memories, likely a trading post manager or associate, with frequent interactions suggesting a complex professional and personal history.

Jacques

Jacques appears as a companion or fellow traveler, with enough interactions to suggest a friendly or collaborative bond.

Our Master

Our Master is likely a ship captain or employer, with the narrator serving under him in a maritime professional capacity.

Solary

Solary is an acquaintance or local figure in the narrator's social circle, possibly a fellow seaman or resident.

The Servant

The Servant is a domestic employee or helper in the narrator's household or ship, with a routine service relationship.

Mr. T. B.

Mr. T. B. is likely a business associate or official, with interactions suggesting a formal professional connection.

Mr. W. W. Jacobs

Mr. W. W. Jacobs is a literary figure or acquaintance, with the narrator engaging in social or literary discussion.

Emperor Napoleon

Emperor Napoleon appears as a historical figure of fascination or obsession for the narrator, possibly in a reflective or symbolic context.

Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope is a literary contemporary or subject of the narrator's commentary, indicating a social or intellectual acquaintance.

Joseph Conrad

Joseph Conrad is the author's own persona, with the narrator engaging in self-reflective or meta-narrative interactions.

Durand

Durand is likely a colleague or fellow officer in the maritime world, with limited but professional interactions.

Nicholas B.

Nicholas B. is a minor acquaintance or friend, with infrequent but cordial interactions.

Author's Note

Reflects on his own relationship with the English language and his father's legacy.

I

Reflects on his dual impulses toward writing and seafaring, recounts the early composition and near-loss of Almayer's Folly, and describes the validation of his work by Jacques.

Chapter II

Reflects on family losses, his own youthful vocation, and the influence of his tutor.

III

The narrator reflects on the story of his granduncle Nicholas B., interpreting the dog-eating episode as symbolic of the horrors of Napoleon's retreat and the false hopes fed to Poland.

IV

Reflects on the morning he began writing Almayer's Folly, his reading habits, and his first sight of Almayer.

V

Reflects on the creative struggle of finishing Nostromo and the interruption by a general's daughter.

VI

Reflects on his dual life as a seaman and writer, cherishes certificates of sobriety, and recalls his youthful departure for Marseilles.

VII

Reflects on his last outing with the pilots, his first contact with an English ship, and his emotional connection to the English language.