Just like a book / film etc that uses any other tool, I guess.
I would argue that. I've watched Memento, but have never heard of Anabasis.
Well, it would be pretty hard to accept the central themes of Fantasy / Sci-fi if the narrator wasn't reliable. Instead of magic, who's to say it isn't just sufficiently advanced tech (and considering the usual setting of fantasy, we might not consider it to be all that advanced). Sci-fi would probably stand up a little better, but could easily come out looking like a fisherman's tale (as in a tall tale).
No, unless the novel gives me some specific reason to consider that. Why? Mostly it isn't used, so it's not worth looking for. Also, it's more of a surprise when it is used that way.
For example, Momento counts I guess... It was pretty obvious that the narrator wasn't reliable. I was also pretty sure that spoiler his notes weren't accurate either.
In retrospect, I should have guessed that spoiler his memories from before the accident weren't accurate either, considering the clues that were dropped during the film. I guess that was just this assumption in effect.
I am, of course, more than happy to explain plot holes away with this assumption.
Of course. Well, I do it more passively most of the time but I would actively reasess this whenever the narrator says something that doesn't seem believable within the context of the story. There are also other triggers. The narrator having memory problems are a good indication. The film / book being labled as a "mind screw" is a pretty good one.
Seeing spoilers pasted all over the internet is unfortunately another really good indication. Thanks for spoiling Fight Club, people on other sites. 
This is why I like to err on the side of covering up major spoilers even if I think everyone has already seen / read the work. When I remember, that is...
No. They are interesting, but I wouldn't like to read that style of book all the time because it gets too damn tiring trying to form a coherent story.
I've just started reading Gene Wolfe's Soldier in the Mist. The narrator, a Latin mercenary in the army of the late Cyrus the Younger, has short term memory loss. Think Memento meets the Anabasis, except that Memento came later and the Anabasis is arguably more obscure.
I would argue that. I've watched Memento, but have never heard of Anabasis.
It strikes me that the majority of genre fiction I've read does not deal a lot with this concept. Sci-fi and fantasy in particular. There seems to be a pretty strong belief that whatever is written is a true account, which is really rather odd considering how fairly cynical we humans can be as readers. I think it's safe to say that, on the whole, realistic fiction is more open about the possibility of the narrator misconstruing something. I don't mean in the sense of "Oh, we thought Xandar the Dark was on our side, but actually he was betraying us!", but rather in the sense of a narrator misremembering a scene or looking at an event and misinterpreting what's going on. Which leads me to my general questions.
Well, it would be pretty hard to accept the central themes of Fantasy / Sci-fi if the narrator wasn't reliable. Instead of magic, who's to say it isn't just sufficiently advanced tech (and considering the usual setting of fantasy, we might not consider it to be all that advanced). Sci-fi would probably stand up a little better, but could easily come out looking like a fisherman's tale (as in a tall tale).
1. Do you go into a novel with the assumption that the narrator will be reliable? Why?
No, unless the novel gives me some specific reason to consider that. Why? Mostly it isn't used, so it's not worth looking for. Also, it's more of a surprise when it is used that way.
For example, Momento counts I guess... It was pretty obvious that the narrator wasn't reliable. I was also pretty sure that spoiler his notes weren't accurate either.
In retrospect, I should have guessed that spoiler his memories from before the accident weren't accurate either, considering the clues that were dropped during the film. I guess that was just this assumption in effect.
I am, of course, more than happy to explain plot holes away with this assumption.
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?
Of course. Well, I do it more passively most of the time but I would actively reasess this whenever the narrator says something that doesn't seem believable within the context of the story. There are also other triggers. The narrator having memory problems are a good indication. The film / book being labled as a "mind screw" is a pretty good one.
Seeing spoilers pasted all over the internet is unfortunately another really good indication. Thanks for spoiling Fight Club, people on other sites. This is why I like to err on the side of covering up major spoilers even if I think everyone has already seen / read the work. When I remember, that is...3. Do you prefer books with unreliable narrators? Why?
No. They are interesting, but I wouldn't like to read that style of book all the time because it gets too damn tiring trying to form a coherent story.
Feel free to hijack this into a discussion on reliability vs. unreliability, a critique on the concept of "realistic" vs "fantastic" fiction with regards to narrators' reliability (I'm looking at you, Larry), implicit misogyny in the assumption of certain narrative archetypes, etc.
Unreliable narrators: yay or nay? Or neigh? And if so, and you are a horse, how are you typing?
- 12/03/2010 05:20:09 AM
775 Views
Re: Unreliable narrators: yay or nay? Or neigh? And if so, and you are a horse, how are you typing?
- 12/03/2010 09:12:23 AM
593 Views
I enjoyed reading the Bayard.
- 12/03/2010 11:55:09 PM
529 Views
Re: I enjoyed reading the Bayard.
- 14/03/2010 10:56:54 AM
593 Views
Re: I enjoyed reading the Bayard.
- 16/03/2010 10:37:35 PM
564 Views
I think it's fairly logical that genre fiction doesn't employ it as often.
- 12/03/2010 01:21:06 PM
749 Views
I think that unreliable narrators tend to be written by more experienced or skillful authors.
- 12/03/2010 06:56:06 PM
533 Views
I like it when they are well written
- 15/03/2010 08:44:02 AM
780 Views