Figure 12.2 shows the spectrum of Unreliable Narration, with the arrow
indicating the direction of increasing unreliability (though again, particu-
lar instances anywhere along this spectrum may have bonding or estranging
effects).
Putting the two ranges together, we get the spectrum shown in figure 12.3,
with the arrow indicating the direction of increasing reliability.
DEFICIENT NARRATION
In the spectrum of unreliability, author and authorial audience are always
aligned, and the actual audience seeks to join that alignment. What varies
is the degree of the author-audience alignment with the narrator. As noted
above, deficient narration does not have a place on this spectrum because in
it, author, narrator, and authorial audience are aligned, but the actual audience
opts out of joining their alignment. Deficient narration can involve reporting,
interpreting, and/or evaluating, and it can also have bonding or estranging
effects, depending on our assessment of the reasons for the deficiency. How-
RELIABLE, UNRELIABLE, AND DEFICIENT NARRATION • 235
FIGURE 12.2. The spectrum of unreliable narration.FIGURE 12.3. The spectrum of unreliable and reliable narration.