: Referring to fictional version of an author in essay I'm writing a literary analysis essay in which the author, Tim O'Brien, uses a fictional version of himself to tell the stories in the book.

I'm writing a literary analysis essay in which the author, Tim O'Brien, uses a fictional version of himself to tell the stories in the book. How would you suggest I help keep the reader from being confused as to whether, when I say "Tim O'Brien" or "O'Brien," I am referring to the fictional version or the real version?

I'm thinking about inserting a sentence in my essay that says something like "When I say 'O'Brien' or 'Tim O'Brien,' I am referring to the fictional character, unless otherwise indicated."

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: For American English, Strunk & White or Garner's MAU. For British English, Fowler (updated edition) or style guides from the Guardian, Economist or BBC. Source: http://xkcd.com/923/ (image

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@Bryan361

I would suggest referring to the author as "O'Brien" and his fictional self as "the narrator."

That way, you can speak to his fictional self with sentences like "When the narrator describes Rat Kiley..." or "When the narrator returns home from the border of Canada*", you can avoid confusion. Additionally, you can have a setup in your intro paragraph that says something along the lines of "The narrator in The Things They Carried acts as Tim O'Brien's fictionalized self..."

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: Referring to fictional version of an author in essay I'm writing a literary analysis essay in which the author, Tim O'Brien, uses a fictional version of himself to tell the stories in the book.

More posts by @Hamaas631

: For American English, Strunk & White or Garner's MAU. For British English, Fowler (updated edition) or style guides from the Guardian, Economist or BBC. Source: http://xkcd.com/923/ (image

: Why write in a different genre than what you read? This question is somewhat linked with Should you read your own genre?, but I believe it is distinct or at least approached in a different

: What's the meaning of the running numbers in left margin of a movie script online? Currently, I am going through the script of The Battle of Algiers. On the left margin, there are numbers

: Is pantsless writing practical for NaNoWriMo? Those of you who like to just sit down and write what comes out, you all are known as pantsless writers. â€” KitFox We have a question on

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