Unreliable narrator - third-person?

Can an unreliable narrator be in third-person? All unreliable narrators I have seen are in first-person.

Yes, I think it's possible. For example, if the third person narrator concentrates on the thoughts and feelings of a particular character, but gives hints that other characters don't see things the same way, or that there might be another view. There may be a hidden subtext (I think that's what it's called). I am thinking of two books. One is Emma by Jane Austen. Another was Miss Majoribanks by Margaret Oliphant, which I read as part of a Victober read-along. In that book, the narrator constantly praises Miss Majoribanks' organisational abilities, community spirit and good sense, but it is possible to see her as shallow. There are enough hints to make you think the author thought so.

I'm puzzled what you mean by unreliable irrespective of first or third person

An unreliable narrator is one where he or she is telling the story, but you become aware that he is either deliberately not telling the truth, or not the whole story, or is maybe deceiving themselves and hence you. He might lack perspective, or he may be unobservant. He might have a fixed idea in his mind that makes him blind to the reality. The narrator is telling you one version of events, but the author is slipping in details that make you think there is another version of events.

It's entirely possible to make it work in third-person. I don't see why it wouldn't. If you can make it work go for it.

A third-person omniscient narrator can be “unreliable” in the sense of being biased, opinionated, filtering viewpoints and facts. I think the narrators in Washington Irving’s stories can be “unreliable” in the way they cover over story events and phrase things (making Ichabod’s unfair thrashing of his pupils sound like “just thrashing limited only to rough swain”) and depict people

Rip Van Winkle, an unproductive and lazy alcoholic deadbeat father, is filtered through the narrator’s perspective as a kindly man who otherwise means well.

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Originally Posted by ajvenigalla

A third-person omniscient narrator can be “unreliable” in the sense of being biased, opinionated, filtering viewpoints and facts. I think the narrators in Washington Irving’s stories can be “unreliable” in the way they cover over story events and phrase things (making Ichabod’s unfair thrashing of his pupils sound like “just thrashing limited only to rough swain”) and depict people

Rip Van Winkle, an unproductive and lazy alcoholic deadbeat father, is filtered through the narrator’s perspective as a kindly man who otherwise means well.

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thanks for exmplaining and thank you a lot for example of Van Winkle. i can see you know really well everything, you seem to be an expert