Does it matter if the inconsistencies were intentional or not?
Whether going on memory to force himself into inconsistencies that then become part of the storytelling frame (unreliable narrator and imperfect workmanship on the "author").
Or he knew the inconsistencies and did them on purpose
Or they were completely accidental and contrary to the intent these books be perfectly sourced.
What does it change? If someone who thinks the inconsistencies are unintentional and the result of negligence gains the ability to read Frost's mind, why would discovering he intended every single one suddenly make the book better or worse?
I don't know if they're all intentional. Some probably aren't. Or maybe the best way to write unreliable narration is to force yourself to do it from memory yourself after two decades. After all, the themes of subjectivity and memory and the passing of time are key to the book and the third season. More obvious and telling examples wouldn't have led to so much discussion and debate.
But some, I feel, are surely intentional. In The Final Dossier, it tells of how Cooper went to the Great Northern upon leaving the Red Room. Then soon after, it tells of how he disappeared straight from the hospital. It could be a mistake on Frost's part, or Tammy's.
Or it could be
me misremembering and conflating the event where Cooper rapes Audrey with the fact he went to the hotel. But then either way, someone is conflating two unrelated events, as tends to happen with memory.
But like I said, I don't think it matters either way. I recall my childhood (aborted) attempt at keeping a diary and remembered how the journal I had was one year behind.
Extratextually, the most likely explanation of why Laura's diary in the JL book is the wrong year comes from the change of setting between S1 and S2. By the time they decided to jump forward a year during production, the book was already written.
But if JL suddenly said that was all intentional because Laura could only afford clearance bin journals left over from previous years, would that suddenly make the book more "canon" or legitimate as a text within the TP story? Seems like such a Marvel Cinematic Universe concern, and even
they change things when it better suits the story being told at the time.
I saved a draft of this post earlier today. Just before coming back to post it, I checked twitter and saw this:
https://twitter.com/mfrost11/status/1474978782251417602
Mark Frost tweet wrote:But is Smallville considered “canon”?