On the Reading Effects of Unreliable Narration:a Study of John Cheever's Suburban Short Stories

John Cheever, one of the most important short fiction writers in America, is famous for his vivid depiction of the suburban life of American middle class. In his noted Shady Hill's short stories, the wide use of the unreliable narration gained great aesthetical value in many different ways. This paper, through the study of the unreliable narration from the perspective of reader's reception, mainly focuses on the reading effects, such like irony, alienation and sympathy of Cheever's suburban short stories and moreover, explores the aesthetic value of Cheever's writing.