unreliable? in Vineland

Terrance lycidas2 at earthlink.net
Fri Jun 20 06:04:57 CDT 2003



Otto wrote:
> 
> I admit that the distinction between the omniscient and the pov-narrator
> isn't easy to tell.

Not sure what you're saying  here. 


> 
> Do we have an agent-narrator here who is commenting and reliable, but may
> not be seen as the author's voice?


I would say that we have a narrator who is commenting, privileged,
provides inside views ( and these are very deep and both moral and
psychological) but is unreliable because he does not speaks for or in 
accordance with the norms of the work (which is to say the implied
author's norms). 


> 
> Presenting another one's dreams seems very privileged to me. Isn't it very
> god-like (since I don't believe in ESP) peeping into someone's (Zoyd or
> Pirate Prentice) dreams?

Pirate is another case. But yes,  it's privilege, it's inside view, but
not god-like or omniscient.



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