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The Unreliable Narrator in The Catcher in the Rye

The Unreliable Narrator in The Catcher in the Rye. Narrator Review. A crucial element of any work of fiction is the NARRATOR , the person who is telling the story. In The Catcher in the Rye , Holden is the narrator. Types of Narrators.

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The Unreliable Narrator in The Catcher in the Rye

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  1. The Unreliable Narrator in The Catcher in the Rye

  2. Narrator Review • A crucial element of any work of fiction is the NARRATOR, the person who is telling the story. • In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden is the narrator.

  3. Types of Narrators • A FIRST PERSON narrator is an "I" (occasionally a "we") who speaks from her/his subject position. That narrator is usually a character in the story, who interacts with other characters; we see those interactions through the narrator's eyes, and we can't know anything the narrator doesn't know. (This is the case in The Catcher in the Rye!) • A SECOND PERSON narrator speaks in "you." This is an extremely rare case in American literature, although we have read some examples. • A THIRD PERSON narrator is not a figure in the story, but an "observer" who is outside the action being described. A third-person narrator might be omniscient (i.e., able to tell what all the characters are thinking), but that is not always the case. Third-person narration may also be focalized through a particular character, meaning that the narrator tells us how that character sees the world, but can't, or at least doesn't, read the mind of all the characters this way.

  4. Reliable vs. Unreliable Test While reading, ask yourself: Is the narrator telling you everything he/she knows? What limits does the narrator have, in terms of what he/she can perceive? How much authority does your narrator have to relate the events of the story?

  5. Unreliable Narrators • In literature and film, an unreliable narrator is a literary device in which the credibility of the narrator is seriously compromised. • This unreliability can be due to: • Psychological instability • A powerful bias • A lack of knowledge • A deliberate attempt to deceive the reader/audience • Unreliable narrators are usually first person narrators, but third person can also be unreliable. • Holden is an unreliable narrator.

  6. Examples of Unreliable Narrators • Scout in TKAM in her ham costume • Nick in Gatsby and his judgments • “The Three Little Pigs” • Life of Pi’s ending • Ted in “How I Met Your Mother” • “Dexter” and his lack of emotions • Edgar Allen Poe’s works

  7. “The Tell-Tale Heart” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=envukur1q3I&feature=related • Why is this an example of an unreliable narrator? • What is the unreliability due to? • Is this unreliable narrator a first person narrator or third person narrator?

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