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First person narrative is often unreliable - meaning that story events show that the narrator is mistaken or deceitful. This often happens in because the narrating character generally has a stake in the story, and is usually not omniscient.
But even when first person narrative is not provably unrealiable, to what extent do you trust it?
I think that many authors want the reader to trust a first person narrative. Chandler, for instance, always treats his private eyes as the authoritative judge of character, events, culpability, causality. On the rare occasions when Marlowe is deluded, he cops to it by the end of the story.
Notwithstanding such examples though, do you trust first person narrators?
I find that increasingly, I don't - even when the author wants me to. Parts of first person narrative that I don't trust include:
My current thinking is not. Whether the narrative is more or less reliable, don't try to build trust in the events related. Rather build empathy or sympathy and understanding for the narrator.
Your thoughts?
But even when first person narrative is not provably unrealiable, to what extent do you trust it?
I think that many authors want the reader to trust a first person narrative. Chandler, for instance, always treats his private eyes as the authoritative judge of character, events, culpability, causality. On the rare occasions when Marlowe is deluded, he cops to it by the end of the story.
Notwithstanding such examples though, do you trust first person narrators?
I find that increasingly, I don't - even when the author wants me to. Parts of first person narrative that I don't trust include:
- Dialogue - because real witnesses never remember it correctly;
- Internal thoughts - especially 'trains of thought'. Because people don't often have trains of thought, except in fiction - they have soups of thought;
- Qualitative descriptions of anything - especially the use of adverbs;
- Causality - because cause is often inferred rather than observed;
My current thinking is not. Whether the narrative is more or less reliable, don't try to build trust in the events related. Rather build empathy or sympathy and understanding for the narrator.
Your thoughts?