Page "One Thousand and One Nights" Paragraph 73

The literary device of the unreliable narrator was used in several fictional medieval Arabic tales of the One Thousand and One Nights.

In one tale, " The Seven Viziers " ( also known as " Craft and Malice of Women or The Tale of the King, His Son, His Concubine and the Seven Wazirs "), a courtesan accuses a king's son of having assaulted her, when in reality she had failed to seduce him ( inspired by the Qur ' anic / Biblical story of Yusuf / Joseph ).

Seven viziers attempt to save his life by narrating seven stories to prove the unreliability of women, and the courtesan responds back by narrating a story to prove the unreliability of viziers.

The unreliable narrator device is also used to generate suspense in " The Three Apples " and humor in " The Hunchback's Tale " ( see Crime fiction elements below ).