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I think that unreliable narrators tend to be written by more experienced or skillful authors. lord-of-shadow Send a noteboard - 12/03/2010 06:56:06 PM
1. Do you go into a novel with the assumption that the narrator will be reliable? Why?


Yes. It's more common, basically.

2. Do you actively assess a narrator's reliability? Do you do it often? Are there triggers that make you stop and judge the narrator's reliability?


I generally don't even think about it until something happens to make me start wondering - some hint that the narrator might not be reliable. And when I get that hint, my brain starts analyzing the story in a whole different way than usual - it's always nice to stretch that less-practiced brain muscle.


3. Do you prefer books with unreliable narrators? Why?


Getting back to my title: I think the average book with an unreliable narrator is better than the average book without an unreliable narrator (assuming that all of the books in question are at least of passable reading value to weed out the chafe and keep this comparison meaningful). I don't think it's because an unreliable narrator makes for an inherently better story though; I think it's because only the more skilled or experienced authors tend to experiment with an unreliable narrator.

This message last edited by lord-of-shadow on 12/03/2010 at 06:56:42 PM
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Unreliable narrators: yay or nay? Or neigh? And if so, and you are a horse, how are you typing? Ghavrel - 12/03/2010 05:20:09 AM 862 Views
Re: Unreliable narrators: yay or nay? Or neigh? And if so, and you are a horse, how are you typing? Camilla - 12/03/2010 09:12:23 AM 684 Views
I enjoyed reading the Bayard. Cockatiel of Doom - 12/03/2010 11:55:09 PM 605 Views
Re: I enjoyed reading the Bayard. Camilla - 14/03/2010 10:56:54 AM 679 Views
Re: I enjoyed reading the Bayard. Cockatiel of Doom - 16/03/2010 10:37:35 PM 656 Views
Re: I enjoyed reading the Bayard. Camilla - 16/03/2010 10:39:13 PM 635 Views
Yes. Cockatiel of Doom - 17/03/2010 05:01:31 PM 674 Views
Re: Yes. Camilla - 17/03/2010 07:53:38 PM 565 Views
I don't mind either way. jh - 12/03/2010 10:18:03 AM 666 Views
Your face is an unreliable horse! snoopcester - 12/03/2010 10:25:32 AM 666 Views
I think it's fairly logical that genre fiction doesn't employ it as often. Legolas - 12/03/2010 01:21:06 PM 832 Views
Well, isn't Erikson notable for his unreliable POVs? Ghavrel - 14/03/2010 12:57:25 AM 662 Views
Hm. Yeigh? Rebekah - 12/03/2010 05:15:41 PM 731 Views
I think that unreliable narrators tend to be written by more experienced or skillful authors. lord-of-shadow - 12/03/2010 06:56:06 PM 619 Views
I like it when they are well written rAndy aL - 15/03/2010 08:44:02 AM 945 Views
Like anything else it is good when done right random thoughts - 15/03/2010 10:32:48 PM 751 Views
I think because of our cynical nature Ryan - 19/03/2010 06:58:05 AM 634 Views
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