Little did he know

Question

In the movie "Stranger Than Fiction" the professor of literature makes quite a big deal about the phrase "little did he know."

I've written papers on "Little did he know." I've taught classes on "Little did he know." I once gave an entire seminar based upon "Little did he know."

Is this phrase as relevant and studied in writing as it is implied in that movie?

Answer 1

While it's true that the phrase has no great significance, it does have connotations associated with slightly old fashioned fairy-tale style narration, such as you might find in Alice and Wonderland, Pooh Bear, Grimm's Fairy Tales, etc.

You probably wouldn't use the phrase in regular writing unless you were making a deliberate ironic nod in this direction, which is what the narration style in Stranger than Fiction does.

The comment about once giving an entire seminar on this phrase is a lighthearted joke at the expense of English Lit academics who have a reputation for massivily overanalysing the smallest aspects of litrature and writing.

Answer 2

The phrase "little did he know" has no particular significance to English Literature or writing in general. The only reason that it was significant in that movie is because the author character had a penchant for using the phrase, and the professor was able to use it to identify the voice in Will Farrell's head.

Answer 3

Whenever you write "little did (s)he know" in fiction, you're probably writing too much from the omniscient author perspective, rather than from the character's perspective. This may indicate a violation of the "show, don't tell" rule.