Just noticed everyone in my book club says 'protagonist' when they mean 'narrator'

I'm in a book club here in Austin and the last 3 meetings someone mixed up protagonist with narrator. They're not the same thing. The protagonist is the main character driving the story, but the narrator is just the voice telling it. Has anyone else had to gently correct this in their group without sounding like a know-it-all?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret_taylor421mo ago

My friend Karen had a similar issue in her Dallas reading group last spring. She started saying "the storyteller" instead of narrator and "the lead" instead of protagonist to keep things simple. It worked well enough that the group picked up on the difference without anyone feeling called out.

anna_fox71mo ago

That's a really clever and kind way to handle a tricky situation.

blair_dixon14d ago

Oh man, that Dallas trick is actually pretty smart - using plain terms like "the lead" and "the storyteller" takes the pressure off everyone. But here's what I'm wondering, @anna_fox7: did you find that people in your group started mixing up those simpler terms too, or did it actually stick? Like, I feel like if someone says "the lead" they might still think that means the most important character instead of the driving force behind the plot, you know?