In a past episode, Jules and Madeleine went into detail about 'unreliable narrators'. If the effect you want to create in your reader is to make them constantly question the narrative, causing conflict between the reader and the narrator in order to create tension, then an unreliable narrator can be a great choice. However there are other kinds of narrator which can be used similarly but to create more nuanced effects in your reader. This week the dragons look at the 'inadequate narrator'. More details in the episode obviously but children, animals and non humans are all examples of inadequate narrators. What sort of narratives are these characters best for and what are the advantages of using them? On the slab this week Jojo Rabbit, Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian, The Rosie Project by Graham Simsion and many more.
(NB - Jules and Madeline both refer to 'The Mysterious Case of the Dog in the Night-time'. Obviously they mean 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' by Mark Haddon - apologies for the error!)
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Ep 394: Divas Debutantes and Girls next door - the best and worst female main characters
Episode 393: Unlikely Rebels - the Moral Outlaw Trope
Episode 392: An Awful Lot of Walking - Mastering Pacing in Speculative Fiction
Episode 391: Lost in the Woods - Tracing the Origins of Hansel and Gretel
Episode 390: Let the Games Begin - Why the Competition Trope is so Popular in Speculative Fiction
Episode 389: Beautiful Misery - The Hunger for the Afflicted Woman in Fiction
Episode 388: A Conflagration of Authors - AI, Audiobooks and Infringement
Episode 387: Complicated Runes and Ineffable Power - Hard Versus Soft Magic Systems in Speculative Fiction
Episode 386: The Art of Not Fitting In - A collection of Not Like the Other Girls Trope Observations
Episode 385: Both is Good - Examining Bisexual Representation in Speculative Fiction
Episode 384: Appearances Can be Deceiving - The Hidden Power of Modern Fairytales
Episode 383: Gaslit Magic and Immortal Monsters Hunters - Incorporating Strong Historical Elements in UF
Episode 382: Part of Your World - Tracing the Origins of The Little Mermaid
Episode 381: Hard Times in Magic & Logic - Examining the Parameters of Hard Scifi and fantasy
Episode 380: Will He Escape those Dastardedly Clutches - Why Cliffhangers Are a Bad Idea
Episode 379: Exuding Menace 101 - How to Create Menacing Villains
Ep 378: Separated by a Common Language - Examining the Differences between UK and US Urban Fantasy
Episode 377: Bringing in Dessert - Serving Up Delicious Endings Against Desperate Odds
Episode 376: In that Time In that Place - the Monomyth and Other Storytelling Modes
Episode 375: The Batcherlorette - Bookish Edition
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