Unreliable narrator
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In literature, film, and other such arts, an unreliable narrator is a narrator who cannot be trusted or whose credibility is compromised. As a narrative technique, it can be found in a wide range from
Illustration by Gustave Doré of Baron Munchausen's tale of being swallowed by a whale. Tall tales, such as those of the Baron, often feature unreliable narrators.
Story within a story
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A story within a story, also referred to as an embedded narrative, is a narrative device in which a character within a story becomes the narrator of a second story. Multiple layers of stories within s
Unreliable narrator
…Frame story Play within a play Rashomon effect, different narrators providing different accounts or stories of the same narrative events…
In the Bible, Jacob has a dream about a ladder to heaven. Having a character dream is a common device for embedding one narrative or scene within another. (Painting by William Blake, 1805)
Cervantes finds the manuscript with the further adventures of Don Quixote. Illustration by Ricardo Balaca for the 1880 edition.