: Re: Fictional diary for a novel When it is appropriate to use the diary form for a novel? Which are the most effective published examples? (I mean fictional diaries, so not Anne Frank's diary).

@Murphy332

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I would investigate The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigg by Rainer Maria Rilke. It is a proto-Modernist text that deals with the interiority of the narrator, and his gradual retreat from the social sphere into the mental sphere.

In my experience, the diary form is a device used to foreground the unreliability of the narrator's perspective. It does not necessarily have to be used with unreliability in mind; however, it is a way to emphasize the inherent subjectivity in narrative perspective. Remember, though, that diary and epistolary devices serve different purposes: the diary speaks often to the self, or a fictional audience; the epistolary speaks to a specific, definite audience. Dracula is pre-dominantly epistolary, insofar as many passages are intended to relate information to particular individuals. As is the case with Shelley's Frankenstein. I very much hope that no one strikes Stoker's masterpiece from their Reading List, as it is a fantastic read.

As for appropriateness, that depends entirely on the author, and the tone they wish to achieve.

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