I start this paper with an overview of the narrator theories, with emphasis on the type of unreliable narrator, its features and functions, its history and use and its division into subtypes.
I describe the connection between the unreliable narrator and the genre of fantasy, which is the prevalent genre mode of the analysed novel.
The analysis of the narrator in Piranesi takes up the main part – I discuss the difference between the character and the narrator in the book, the narrator’s unreliability, and the reason why Piranesi fits better within the category of a fallible narrator. I continue with the analysis of genre syncretism in the given novel and point out the elements of the crime novel, psychological thriller, fantasy novel and the philosophic novel.
Lastly, I explain how the use of the unreliable narrator enables the inclusion of various genre modes in a single novel.
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