unreliable narrator
Say it: un-rih-LY-uh-bul nuh-RAY-tuh /ˌʌnrɪˈlaɪəbəl nəˈreɪtə/ · noun phrase
What “unreliable narrator” means
A storyteller whose version of events you can't fully trust.
More precisely: A narrator whose account of events can't be fully trusted.
When to use it
When discussing a storyteller whose mistakes, limited understanding or dishonesty make their account doubtful, even if they sound convincing.
Similar words
untrustworthy narrator, biased narrator
Where it comes from
Coined by the critic Wayne C. Booth in 1961.
Quick check
A narrator insists he never entered the house, then describes its rooms in suspicious detail. What might he be?
an unreliable narrator or an omniscient narrator?
Show the answer
an unreliable narrator
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