Narrative self-consciousness is the literary the technique where the narrator shows an awareness of the fact that they are telling a story, as they reflect on their manner and feelings throughout this storytelling process. It's a common feature in metafiction, which Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' is an example of. In the novel, the narrator, Offred, is a deeply introspective character, and at various points she breaks off from relating the events to sharing with the reader her doubts, confusions, and emotions about her status as a storyteller, and the nature of her narrative as a reconstruction of 'truths' both objective and subjective.
In this video, I delve into specific moments from the text to illustrate how narrative self-consciousness plays out (my second example might even strike some of you as quite... surprising!)
TIMESTAMPS:
02:38 - Idea 1: Storytelling as power
06:50 - Idea 2: Reconstruction as rehabilitation
13:50 - Idea 3: Confession as courage
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