The Narrative Chain

1
The Narrative Chain
2
The Real Author

• This is the person who actually writes the story,
  but can we ever really know this person?
• D. H. Lawrence gave some famous advice Never
  trust the teller, trust the tale.
• When we examine the real authors life in order
  to help us understand a story, then we are doing
  historical criticism.

3
The Implied Author

• Since we cant really know the real author, we
  dont need to even try.
• What does the text imply about the person who
  created it?
• By reading the text, what can we assume about the
  authors knowledge, interests, and motivations?
• After reading Alice in Wonderland, for example,
  we can infer that the author is someone who wants
  to make fun of nobility and traditional
  education.

4
The Narrator

• Who actually tells the story?
• Does a character tell the story or does someone
  who is not in the story tell it?
• Does this person sound like an adult or a child?
• How much does this person know about what is
  going on insides peoples minds?

5
The Narratee

• Who is the narrator addressing?
• Who does it feel like the narrator is talking to?
• In many stories, the narratee and the implied
  reader seem like the same person.
• Inside the story, if one character tells a story
  to another story, they play the roles of another
  set of narrator/narratee.

6
The Implied Reader

• What does the text imply about the person who
  reads?
• What knowledge is necessary or useful to make
  sense out of the story and enjoy it?

7
The Real Reader

• Who is the person who is actually reading the
  text.
• This person may read and dislike the story. In
  such a case, the real reader is unable or
  unwilling to take the position of the implied
  reader.

8
The Narrative Chain
Real Author Real Reader
Implied Author Implied Reader
Narrator Narratee
Irony happens when the implied author and the
narrator have a different understanding. The
implied author expects the implied reader to not
trust the narratorto see past his words to a
greater truth. Some stories have multiple
narrative strands one implied author, but many
narrators.