# Unknown Narrator — The Inheritors character guide > Unknown Narrator in The Inheritors by Joseph Conrad. **Role:** major **Also known as:** me, I, myself **First appearance:** 0003-i ## Snapshot A self-styled author ahead of his time, he narrates his entanglement with financiers, a mysterious woman, and a scheme to inherit the earth. ## Who they are He is Etchingham Granger, an unsuccessful novelist who takes journalistic work and drifts into the orbit of the Duc de Mersch's expedition and the men who finance it. His vanity as a neglected artist and his weakness for a woman who treats him as a relic of an obsolete order leave him perpetually a step behind the plotters. His baffled, self-mocking narration is the reader's only guide through a world where allegory and conspiracy blur. ## Relationships ### [Soane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/soane) _professional_ Soane is a colleague or subordinate who interacts regularly with the narrator in a professional capacity. ### [Cromwell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/cromwell) _professional_ Cromwell is a professional figure, possibly a rival or ally, who has substantial dealings with the narrator. ### [Miss Etchingham Granger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/miss_etchingham_granger) _social_ Miss Etchingham Granger is a social acquaintance of the narrator, with interactions suggesting polite society connections. ### [Mrs. Hartly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/mrs_hartly) _social_ Mrs. Hartly is a social contact of the narrator, likely part of the same social circle or household. ### [Mrs. Etchingham Granger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/mrs_etchingham_granger) _social_ Mrs. Etchingham Granger is a social acquaintance of the narrator, likely part of the same upper-class circle. ### [Arthur Edwards](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/arthur_edwards) _professional_ Arthur Edwards is a subordinate or servant of the narrator, handling practical or menial tasks. ### [Soane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/soane) _professional_ Soane is a colleague or subordinate who interacts regularly with the narrator in a professional capacity. ### [Soane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/soane) _professional_ Soane is a colleague or subordinate who interacts regularly with the narrator in a professional capacity. ### [Miss Etchingham Granger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/miss_etchingham_granger) _social_ Miss Etchingham Granger is a social acquaintance of the narrator, with interactions suggesting polite society connections. ### [Mrs. Hartly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/mrs_hartly) _social_ Mrs. Hartly is a social contact of the narrator, likely part of the same social circle or household. ### [Arthur Edwards](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/arthur_edwards) _professional_ Arthur Edwards is a subordinate or servant of the narrator, handling practical or menial tasks. ### [Mrs. Etchingham Granger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/mrs_etchingham_granger) _social_ Mrs. Etchingham Granger is a social acquaintance of the narrator, likely part of the same upper-class circle. ## In the story ### [The Inheritors](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/the-inheritors) The protagonist and first-person narrator, a writer who encounters the enigmatic woman and rejects her proposition. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/i) The narrator, a writer with high ideals, is walking to Dover and becomes entangled in conversation with the mysterious woman. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/ii) Reflects on the woman's modernity and his own sense of being outdated; accepts Callan's job offer. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/iii) The narrator is the protagonist, observing Callan's interactions, confronting the woman, and reluctantly writing a flattering article. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/iv) The narrator is conflicted about the political revelations, feeling disillusioned but resigned to his role as a propagandist for Fox. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/v) Visits Lea to announce his new job, reflects on past isolation and the temptation of success. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/vi) Visits Churchill's country house, interviews the Foreign Secretary, and encounters the woman who claims to be his sister. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/vii) Visits Churchill, discusses Cromwell, and agrees to collaborate on Churchill's book. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/viii) Works with Churchill and Fox, adores Mrs. Hartly, and feels overwhelmed and jealous upon meeting the Dimensionist girl again. ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/x) Visits the Duc de Mersch, overhears the woman's tirade, writes the article. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/xi) Feels out of place at the salon, confronts de Mersch, and later reads Radet's article, leading to self-reproach. ### [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/xii) Confronts the woman, torn between disbelief and horror at her schemes, and threatens to denounce her. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/xiii) Visits his aunt's salon, attempts to reveal the truth about his 'sister,' but backs down; accepts invitation to stay; feels isolated and jealous. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/xiv) Confronts the woman, learns of her schemes, and experiences emotional turmoil over their separation. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/xv) Returns to London and Etchingham, feeling numb and detached; re-engages with Churchill and the political situation. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/xvi) Returns to London, reflects on Churchill's touch, dines with a relative, and becomes consumed by desire for his sister. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/xvii) Holds the power to publish or suppress Callan's article, torn between love and duty. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/xviii) Experiences a dream of transcendental love and victory, then wakes to a crushing sense of emptiness and aimlessness; overhears news of Churchill's ruin and his sister's engagement to Gurnard; collapses in a fit at the club. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/chapters/xix) Confronts the woman, admits his love, and is left with nothing—no past, no future, and no one to face. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters/unknown_narrator - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_inheritors_se/characters