English Literature GCSE
Unreliable Narrator
What Unreliable Narrator means in English Literature GCSE, as defined for OCR, Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Unreliable Narrator
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
A narrator whose credibility is compromised, either through bias, limited knowledge, or self-deception. Kathy admits to gaps in her memory, making her an unreliable narrator.
A narrator whose credibility is compromised, often due to youth, bias, limited knowledge, or emotional instability.
A narrator whose credibility is compromised, often by psychological trauma.
A narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised.
Topics that use Unreliable Narrator
- Never Let Me Go (OCR GCSE)
- Telling Tales Anthology (OCR GCSE)
- 19th-Century Novel (choice of: Jane Eyre, Great Expectations, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, A Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice, Silas Marner, Frankenstein) (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- The Woman in Black (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
Using Unreliable Narrator in the exam
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