I put 'apparently' and 'seeming' alongside boastful because as you suggest, Niall, it's not clearcut. What tips it for me is the fact that the Intro is bordeline boastful too about the story's resonance for the narrator and therefore, by implication, for the reader. The Epilogue has a similar flavour. It's subtle, and it's hardly a crime…
I put 'apparently' and 'seeming' alongside boastful because as you suggest, Niall, it's not clearcut. What tips it for me is the fact that the Intro is bordeline boastful too about the story's resonance for the narrator and therefore, by implication, for the reader. The Epilogue has a similar flavour. It's subtle, and it's hardly a crime -- in fact I like it, if I haven't made that clear. But I still think most modern writers would cut it, because they wouldn't want any of that flavour in their story.
It's not even a particularly interesting point I'm making tbh. George asked might we Clubbers cut the Intro and Epilogue? And I'm just saying yes, I think most of us would.
I put 'apparently' and 'seeming' alongside boastful because as you suggest, Niall, it's not clearcut. What tips it for me is the fact that the Intro is bordeline boastful too about the story's resonance for the narrator and therefore, by implication, for the reader. The Epilogue has a similar flavour. It's subtle, and it's hardly a crime -- in fact I like it, if I haven't made that clear. But I still think most modern writers would cut it, because they wouldn't want any of that flavour in their story.
It's not even a particularly interesting point I'm making tbh. George asked might we Clubbers cut the Intro and Epilogue? And I'm just saying yes, I think most of us would.