The document discusses characteristics of narrators in stories. It addresses questions about who the narrator is, how they are involved, impressions of them, whether they are objective or emotional, if they can be trusted to tell the truth, and their reasons for telling the story. It also discusses the reliability of narrators and whether they may be unreliable due to lying, limited perspective, being misled, or mental unsoundness. This could cause the reader to doubt the story being told.

1. The Narrator

2. Characteristics of the Narrator

3. Characteristics of the Narrator
All stories are trying to convey a message, to make the reader
feel something that the author wants to communicate

4. Characteristics of the Narrator
All stories are trying to convey a message, to make the reader
feel something that the author wants to communicate
What is the narrator like?

5. Characteristics of the Narrator
All stories are trying to convey a message, to make the reader
feel something that the author wants to communicate
What is the narrator like?
What is his motive?

6. Characteristics of the Narrator
All stories are trying to convey a message, to make the reader
feel something that the author wants to communicate
What is the narrator like?
What is his motive?
Why is he trying to convey a certain message to us and what
is the message?

7. Analyzing the narrator’s
characteristics

8. Analyzing the narrator’s
characteristics
Who is the narrator?

9. Analyzing the narrator’s
characteristics
Who is the narrator?
How is he involved?

10. Analyzing the narrator’s
characteristics
Who is the narrator?
How is he involved?
What is your impression of
him?

11. Analyzing the narrator’s
characteristics
Who is the narrator?
How is he involved?
What is your impression of
him?
Is he objective? Emotional?

12. Analyzing the narrator’s
characteristics
Who is the narrator?
How is he involved?
What is your impression of
him?
Is he objective? Emotional?
Can he be trusted to tell the
truth about the story?

13. Analyzing the narrator’s
characteristics
Who is the narrator?
How is he involved?
What is your impression of
him?
Is he objective? Emotional?
Can he be trusted to tell the
truth about the story?
Why is he telling the story?

14. Reliability of the narrator
True! - nervous - very, very
dreadfully nervous I had been
and am; but why will you say
that I am mad? The disease
has sharpened my senses - not
destroyed - not dulled them. I
heard all things in heaven and
on earth and many things in
hell. Observe how well I tell
this story...

15. Reliability of the narrator

16. Reliability of the narrator
Reliability - extent to which the
narrator can be believed in what he
says.

17. Reliability of the narrator
Reliability - extent to which the
narrator can be believed in what he
says.
Unreliable: lying? Limited
perspective? Misled in
understanding? Mentally unsound?

18. Reliability of the narrator
Reliability - extent to which the
narrator can be believed in what he
says.
Unreliable: lying? Limited
perspective? Misled in
understanding? Mentally unsound?
Causes the reader to doubt the
story that the narrator tells and
makes us wonder what else we do
not know.

19. Application

20. Application
Consider one chapter of Heartland

21. Application
Consider one chapter of Heartland
What is Daren Shiau like as a narrator?

22. Application
Consider one chapter of Heartland
What is Daren Shiau like as a narrator?
What perspective is he coming from?

23. Application
Consider one chapter of Heartland
What is Daren Shiau like as a narrator?
What perspective is he coming from?
Is he reliable? What are his limitations?

24. Application
Consider one chapter of Heartland
What is Daren Shiau like as a narrator?
What perspective is he coming from?
Is he reliable? What are his limitations?
How/Why does Darren Shiau tell us the story from Wing’s
perspective?