We’re all becoming dumb. Well, in the sense that media literacy is dying – and with it the unreliable narrator. Unreliable narrators are (biasedly) one of the best ways to create a compelling and relatable story; they are a key part of what makes storytelling feel human. Just like in real life, not everyone can be trusted. So, unreliable narrators are a way for authors to challenge their readers, challenge the motives behind their characters actions. Now? Well, it seems like everyone is taking things at face value – fake news, TikTok conspiracies and even fiction.
Reading should be an activity that engages your critical thinking, and unreliable narrators are a tool that does just that. It forces readers to look in between the lines and understand what exactly is the driving force for each character. When the storyteller is flawed, like real people are, the story feels way more real. Intent drives actions, and when it’s being told by someone who is consistently morally right the story becomes…boring. Good writing has characters who act like real people.
So, what went wrong? Many people don’t want to engage in what they are reading. People crave simplicity: a hero to idolize, a villain to despise and nothing in between. Maybe it’s because, in real life, no one’s ever quite sure who the hero actually is. But, the thing is, there is no good guy. Trying to make one where there is makes for a flat and predictable plot.
It also seems to be that no one understands when there are unreliable narrators. With a world filled with misinformation, social media and AI, audiences may be tired of trying to decipher what is true or not. Others may have never been able to (thank you media illiteracy). Authors may even be frightened that their work will be misinterpreted. So instead of trusting readers to keep up, we’re dumbing things down – and calling it clarity.
The problem with the lack of unreliable narrators isn’t just confined to the book world (although I do miss them), but it extends into how we interact with the real world. A society that is unable to decipher messages or can’t handle nuance, is a one almost asking to be manipulated. If we can’t handle fake unreliable narrators, what about the real ones?
Stories are too safe now. Characters are too flat. Readers are too unwilling to engage. We are losing what made reading so important. We don’t need less complexity in stories, we need readers to be smarter. Reality doesn’t come with fact-checking either, so bring back the unreliable narrators – it might make people think more about the truth in the real world.
