Reliable Unreliability – Narrative Bias in Autofiction

Citation

Won, Elizabeth (2025) Reliable Unreliability – Narrative Bias in Autofiction. Other, California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/f6mq-7642. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechThesis:06302025-165533854

Abstract

[Introduction] Narrative unreliability in fiction presents a compelling paradox: the more subjectively biased a narrator appears, the more reliably they reveal their authentic self. Across literary history, such narrative unreliability has captivated readers precisely because it mirrors our inherently subjective experiences. Consider Humbert Humbert in Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, whose charismatic yet morally distorted voice seduces readers into overlooking his crimes. Similarly, John Dowell in Ford Madox Ford’s The Good Soldier frames his account through emotional prejudice, prompting readers to question the reliability and accuracy of his perceptions. Even in novels featuring non-human narrators, such as Kazuo Ishiguro’s artificially created protagonists, Klara and Kathy, humanlike emotional biases become central, further highlighting the fundamental role subjectivity plays in narrative engagement. Unreliability, or the presence of emotional bias, is the very thing that ties us to these characters, creating profound connections between reader and narrator.

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