A storytelling device where the narrator's credibility is compromised, causing readers to question the truth of their account. This technique creates ambiguity and forces readers to actively interpret what really happened.
From English 'unreliable' (not dependable) and 'narrator' (from Latin narrare, 'to tell'). The concept became prominent in 20th-century literary criticism as authors experimented with subjective storytelling techniques.
This narrative device revolutionized modern literature by making readers detectives! Authors like Nabokov in 'Lolita' use unreliable narrators to explore how memory, bias, and self-deception shape our understanding of truth, turning reading into an active investigation rather than passive consumption.
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