Many times throughout The Warden, the narrator makes his presence well know by stating "I" whenever he is giving any necessary information about the story:

Whether or no the ill-natured prediction made by certain ladies in the beginning of the last chapter, was or was not carried out to the letter, I am not in a position to state. Eleanor, however, certainly did feel herself to have been baffled as she returned home with all her news to her father.

Questions

1. Is this narrator Trollope? If not, is it someone who has no opinions towards this story and the matters discussed?

2. Why would Trollepe have the narrator refer to himself as "I?" What advantages does that give to the story? In the case of the above passage, doesn't it weaken the credibility of the narrator given the fact the he does not know something?

3. If the narrator is going to refer to himself as "I," shouldn't he then give his opinions on the story?


Last modified: 23 April 2003