The Unreliable Narrarator

[Shostie]

I've been doing a lot of reading lately, and somehow the concept of the unreliable narrarator has pulled itself to the forefront of my thought.

The best example I can think of of an unreliable narrarator is Patrick Bateman in Ellis' American Psycho. While offering up many moral and ethical questions (evil as thought vs. evil as action, soullessness vs. fiendishness), the book, in my opinion, is a great example of a narrarator skewing events either to make his own actions seem more favorable or out of pure psychosis. The latter seems to be the case here, as we are never quite entirely sure as to the authenticity of Bateman's actions. While horrific, the fact that none of his friends believe him, that there is little evidence to support his claims of homocide, that Paul Owen, a rival he killed out of jealousy, may not have actually have been Paul Owen, as evidenced by Owen's consistent reference to Bateman as Marcus Halberstam, lends little credibility to his actions.

I recently finished reading Shelley's Frankenstein. I found the book quite enjoyable. One of the critical notes at the end of the book pointed out the tri-layered nature of the book. At the top, we have Walton, the sea-farer searching for a passage to the Americas via the North Pole who discovers Vickor Frankenstein. Then below that, Frankenstein's tale of his creating a monster, and Frankenstein's subsequent spurning of said monster. And below that, the monster itself's tale. So at the top, the true narrarator is Walton, relating the other two tales. In the letters prior to the narrative proper, Walton describes his need of a friend of suitable intellect to share in his adventure. What are the odds that he should just HAPPEN accross such a creature, the poor wretch Frankenstein, the victim as much as he is the cause of his own misery. Then, can't Walton's entire tale be called into question?

Is it truly possible for a narrarator to completely separate themselves from the prose? Every event described in every book comes through the filter of the author's mind's eye.