Here's how it works:
* The Unreliable Narrator: Instead of presenting a straightforward, objective account, these narrators are flawed, biased, or mentally unstable. They may be delusional, self-deceiving, or simply lacking complete understanding of the events they describe.
* The Fragmented World: This unreliability mirrors the fragmented, subjective, and often confusing nature of the modern world. The unreliable narrator reflects the idea that there is no single, absolute truth, but rather a multitude of perspectives, each shaped by individual experiences and biases.
* Questioning Reality: By showing how easily perception can be distorted, modernist writers challenge the reader to question their own assumptions and understandings. They force us to recognize that our interpretations are influenced by our individual backgrounds, experiences, and even our emotional states.
Examples:
* "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Nick Carraway, the narrator, is an outsider observing the lavish world of the Roaring Twenties. His own yearning for wealth and love colors his perception of Gatsby, making him a potentially unreliable source. Fitzgerald uses Nick's limitations to highlight the superficiality and moral decay of the American Dream in that era.
* "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner: The novel is told from the perspectives of multiple characters, each with their own fragmented memories and distorted views of reality. Faulkner's use of multiple unreliable narrators reflects the sense of alienation and confusion that characterizes modern life.
By employing unreliable narrators, modernist writers challenge the traditional notion of a singular, objective truth. Instead, they emphasize the subjective nature of experience, the complexities of human perception, and the elusive nature of reality itself. This approach reflects the fragmentation and uncertainty that many felt in the early 20th century, a period marked by rapid social and technological change.