Authorial Intrusion

In Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," the author makes direct comments on the characters and events in the novel, often through the voice of the narrator. For example, when Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth, the narrator makes a sarcastic comment about his character: "Mr. Collins, meanwhile, was meditating in solitude on what had passed. He thought too well of himself to comprehend on what motives his cousin could refuse him."

Instructional example

In Charles Dickens' "David Copperfield," the author directly addresses the reader in the opening chapter of the novel, explaining his reasons for writing the story and introducing himself as the narrator. He writes, "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o'clock at night."

Instructional example

In Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," the author includes a preface where she explains the inspiration and purpose behind the novel. She writes, "I busied myself to think of a story, —a story to rival those which had excited us to this task. One which would speak to the mysterious fears of our nature, and awaken thrilling horror

— one to make the reader dread to look round, to curdle the blood, and quicken the beatings of the heart. If I did not accomplish these things, my ghost story would be unworthy of its name."

In William Shakespeare's plays, the author often includes asides, where a character speaks directly to the audience and provides commentary on the action of the play. For example, in "Hamlet," the character Hamlet makes an aside in Act I, Scene II, saying, "A little more than kin, and less than kind," in reference to his uncle and mother's relationship.

Instructional example