word
Unreliable narrator
un-rih-LY-uh-bul nuh-RAY-ter
/ˌʌnrɪˈlaɪəbəl nəˈreɪtər/Listen
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Syllable breakdown
unreliablenarrator
Dictionary meaning
A narrator whose credibility is compromised, either because of limited knowledge, personal bias, mental instability, or deliberate deception; the term was introduced by Wayne Booth in 'The Rhetoric of Fiction' (1961).
Examples
- Humbert Humbert in Lolita is a classic unreliable narrator whose self-justifying prose conceals horrifying violence.
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