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The Unreliable Narrator

What Makes a Narrator Unreliable

An unreliable narrator is a first-person or close-third speaker whose account the reader has reason to doubt. Wayne C. Booth coined the term in 1961, distinguishing narrators who are naive (Huck Finn), self-deceiving (Stevens in The Remains of the Day), or deliberately deceptive (Amy in Gone Girl). The power of unreliability is that it forces readers to become active detectives, reading between the lines for the 'real' story beneath the surface narration.

The Unreliable Narrator

What Makes a Narrator Unreliable

An unreliable narrator is a first-person or close-third speaker whose account the reader has reason to doubt. Wayne C. Booth coined the term in 1961, distinguishing narrators who are naive (Huck Finn), self-deceiving (Stevens in The Remains of the Day), or deliberately deceptive (Amy in Gone Girl). The power of unreliability is that it forces readers to become active detectives, reading between the lines for the 'real' story beneath the surface narration.