Untrustworthy Narrators?

Michael Straight · 18 Oct 1999, 11:01 · from whorl-v0010.mbox · original

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From: Michael Straight <straight at email.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: (whorl) Untrustworthy Narrators?
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 11:01:53
Message-ID: <whorl-v0010-0131 at digest.urth.net>
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On Mon, 18 Oct 1999, Jim Jordan wrote:

> >How much fun is a Wolfe story where you know you can
> >trust the narrator?=20
>=20
> 	Since I've been away from Urth and Whorl for months, maybe you folks have
> settled this question, but for what it's worth, my recollection is that
> Wolfe says his narrators are not untrustworthy at all. At least not
> intentionally. Since they have a limited perspective, of course, they may
> not see or understand everything that we, the reader, may see or
> understand. But to assume that Latro or Severian are deliberately
> misleading the reader is, it seems to me, quite without foundation, and
> something that Wolfe has denied.

In referring to "trust," I meant to include issues of error as well as
deception.  Don't forget "Seven American Nights," in which the narrator
purposely keeps information from the reader.=20

If Horn made up, say, some of the scenes with Father Q and Father Remora,
because he believed something like that happened, or if he put prayers in
Silk's mouth because he believed that was the sort of thing Silk would
pray in that situation, would you consider that "deliberately misleading"
the reader?

SMTIRCAHIAGEHLT

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