Cognitive Bias and Narrative Credibility in Proust

Abstract:Literary narrators often have warped perceptions of reality and/or motives to deceive. To inspire confidence in questionable sources, I argue, authors sometimes take advantage of readers' cognitive biases. This article explains how three rhetorical devices—maxims, illustrative anecdotes, and speculative statements—can appeal to these predispositions so as to make dubious claims seem credible. Drawing examples from Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, I illustrate how these stylistic elements can lead readers to trust the narrator more than they rationally should, and I propose that these tactics are essential to our enjoyment of the novel.