 Mystery: September 09, 2015 Issue [#7202] |
  Mystery
This week: Don't believe everything you read Edited by: Arakun the twisted raccoon  
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| Quote for the week: "Telling the truth to the wrong person at the wrong time is how I ended up where I am. Take it from me. You're always better off with a really good lie." ~ Alison DiLaurentis, in "Pretty Little Liars" |
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An unreliable narrator is a narrator whose account of events cannot be trusted. The term was first used in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in The Rhetoric of Fiction. Well known examples of stories with unreliable narrators include the movie, "The Usual Suspects" and the book and movie, "Shutter Island". An unreliable narrator can be used to add an extra layer of complexity or a plot twist to a mystery story, but it must be used carefully.
An unreliable narrator is often a first person narrator. First person narrators are always somewhat unreliable, because their perspective is limited. Unreliable narrators can be used to tell part of a story that is written in third person. Examples include the young girl in the short story, "The Open Window" by H.H Munro, and the little boy in "Charles" by Shirley Jackson.
An unreliable narrator is not necessarily a bad or deceptive person. He may be telling the complete truth as he knows it, but still be wrong. He may have misinterpreted a situation he witnessed or only heard part of a conversation. Some unreliable narrators are young children or are mentally incompetent.
Others are quite sane, but may deliberately lie or distort the truth for a variety of reasons. Maybe the unreliable narrator actually committed the crime, and is trying to throw other characters (and the readers) off their track. Or the narrator may be protecting the real culprit because it is someone he loves or someone who is threatening him.
In some stories, several narrators recount different versions of the same event. These are called Rashomon stories after a Japanese film entitled "Rashomon" in which 5 characters describe a crime differently. Any story that involves contradictory testimony by different witnesses or suspects is a form of Rashomon story.
When using an unreliable narrator, include clues that the narrator or his account of events is unreliable, so the reader will have a chance to figure it out. As in all stories with plot twists, the twist should be unexpected, not unbelievable. The narrator might get small details wrong, and may even be challenged by other characters.
Something to try: Write a mystery story that features an unreliable narrator. |
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| Question for next time: Other than murder, what do you think are good plot lines for mysteries? |
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