Abstract

Novels has many forms to make itself presented authentic, among which unreliable narrative has not long history in novels but is currently popular in literature. Narrative has been penetrated deeply in our daily life, which is delivered by story-telling or talking about personal experience. In order to distinguish unreliable narrative, narrative and narrator should be clarified both in meaning and its function in novels. Another thing worth studying is narrator who does not equal to the author. There are at least two levels of narrator, text narrator and story narrator. The former is omniscient, and the latter is limited in knowledge of the whole novel. More specifically, the details in the novel Moon and Sixpence demonstrate various writing purposes which are of close relationship with social identity, personal characteristic, life pursuance and so forth.

Keyword: Unreliable narrative; author; narrator; Moon and Sixpence

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1.Introduction.1

2.Narrator .1

  2.1 The definition of narrators1

  2.2 The classification of narrators.1

  2.3 The importance of the narrator in Moon and Sixpence.2

3.Unreliable Narrative.2

  3.1 The definition of narrative 2

  3.2 The origin of unreliable narrative3

  3.3 The effects of unreliable narrative.3

  3.4 The application of unreliable narrators in novels3

4.Unreliable Narrative in Moon and Sixpence4

  4.1 Unreliable narrative about Charles Strickland5

4.1.1 About Woman.5

  4.2 Unreliable narrative about Mrs. Strickland.5

4.2.1 Asking for help.5

4.2.2 Knowing the fact yet lying all the same.6

4.2.3 Taking advantages of her husband6

  4.3 Unreliable narrative about Colonel MacAndrew.6-

  4.4 Unreliable narrative about Dirk Stroeve7

5.The Reasons of Applying Unreliable Narrative7

  5.1 Social Identity7

  5.2 Personal Characteristic8

  5.3 Personal Pursuance8

6.Conclusion9

Reference.10