In which literary work does the unreliable narrator convey structural irony?

• A. The Great Gatsby
• B. Hamlet
• C. The Tell-Tale Heart
• D. Pride and Prejudice

Answer: (C)

“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe features an unreliable narrator who provides a chilling perspective that creates structural irony throughout the story. The narrator insists on their sanity while describing their obsession with an old man's vulture-like eye and the lengths they go to in order to rid themselves of it. Their distorted self-perception and insistence that their actions are justified lead readers to question the truth of their account. Structural irony manifests as the reader gradually realizes the narrator’s madness despite their claims of rationality.

This form of irony deepens the impact of the horror elements within the story by contrasting the narrator’s self-assuredness with the evident irrationality of their actions. The unreliable nature of the narrator compels readers to interpret the events with skepticism, creating a dissonance between what is presented and what is perceived. This effective use of an unreliable narrator to create structural irony is a hallmark of Poe's work, making it a fitting choice for this question.