Narrative Commentary & Control in VL

[Terrance]

VL Page 5

"You'll see," weary Slide advised. 

He sure would, but only after spending more time ... 


What effect is achieved by the narrator's explicitly controlling the
reader's expectations, insuring that the reader will not continue on
with the false hopes and fears, paranoia, ignorance ... and so forth
held by the characters? 


Even though the narrator doesn't tell us exactly what is going to happen
to Zoyd he does let us know that what Zoyd expects will happen, won't
happen. Slide knows this.  Every one but Zoyd seems to know this. The
reader still doesn't know what will happen. But the reader does know
what Zoyd expects. Moreover, the reader also knows that what Zoyd
expects to happen (has in fact planned) won't happen. 

The narrator has controlled the reader's expectations. 


Dramatic irony depends on the narrator and the audience somehow sharing
information that the character does not hold. In this example the
narrator telling the reader in advance that Zoyd's expectations will not
be met controls the reader's expectations.