The Role of the Unreliable Narrator in Gothic Fiction

Abstract

The function of the untrustworthy narrator in Gothic literature, with an emphasis on how this storytelling device heightens the psychological complexity, ambiguity, and terror that are hallmarks of the genre. One characteristic of Gothic fiction is the employment of an unreliable narrator, a character whose credibility is challenged, to induce confusion and distrust in the reader. Examining classic works including The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, this study delves into the ways in which the unreliable narrator adds to the general air of discomfort and suspense that characterises Gothic fiction. The narrative's psychological intensity is heightened by the unreliable narrator, who also embodies the genre's fixation with perception's boundaries, sanity's frailty, and the truth's uncertainty. By using this device, Gothic fiction is able to muddy the waters between fact and fiction, making the reader doubt the veracity of the events recounted and the narrator's intentions. The unreliable narrator plays a pivotal role in delving into the shadowy regions of human nature and the unconscious mind by sowing seeds of doubt and uncertainty. The study emphasises the lasting importance of the untrustworthy narrator in Gothic literature and how it affects the reader's perception of the text.