POINT OF VIEW
What is Point-of-View?
* It’s the perspective
through which the story
is told.
* It is the eye of the story.
* It is the filter (often a
person) through which
events are perceived.
* It is where the “camera”
is placed.
TYPES OF POV
First Person
The story is told through the POV of one character and filtered through
his/her thoughts and emotions. First person narration uses the pronoun “I”
and the audience sees the world directly through that character’s eyes only.
For Example: “I was scared, so I ran away from the clown.”
TAXI by Jesus Garcia
In the back seat of the Volkswagen Beetle, the woman, her baggy eyes shut, chants
the Lord's Prayer over and over. She's sitting in between The Monkey, who has a simian
arm casually draped over her shoulder, as if he were her boyfriend, and Handsome, who
is riffling through the contents of her purse. I can see through the rearview mirror that
he's found her wallet.
"Your name's Lourdes," he says, reading from her driver's license. "Lourdes Santos de
Diaz. What do you know, you live in Las Lomas! At 2721 Sierra Gorda." The recitation of
her name and address doesn't break her concentration, not even for a second. She
continues to drone the Lord's Prayer. It's starting to get on my nerves. I bet she hasn't
been in a church in years, except for weddings and communions. But once in my taxi,
most of the "passengers" put on a big show of piety.
I look at her in the rearview mirror. Her face, slack with middle age, is grimly set. I
return my gaze to the road. "Lourdes?" I ask. "Are you a religious woman?"
"Yes," she says. She smoothes down her beige skirt, as
if any of us were interested in her legs. "Yes, I am."
"Good," I counter. "Then not only will God protect
you, he will pay you back threefold anything we take
from you.”
First Person Point of View
The story is written from the viewpoint of the character who
tells the story and who is also a character in the story. The "I"
in the story is not the author but a character that the author
has created to tell the story. This character is known as the
narrator.
The narrator speaks directly to the characters and relates
events in the story to reveal what his attitude is to these
characters or events. For example, the narrator could be
compassionate, sympathetic, understanding, critical,
impartial and etc..
Consider the following:
• Is the narrator reliable and truthful?
• Are the events or characters ironic?
• Is the action limited?
Second Person Point of View
Second person narration is very seldom used as it means that the
author/performer can only address one person. (The narrator is
essentially telling the story for the reader.)
For Example: “Scared, you run away from the clown.”
If on A Winter's Night A Traveler by Italo Calvino
You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino's new novel, If on a Winter's
Night a Traveler. Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the
world around you fade. Best to close the door; the TV is always on in the
next room. Tell the others right away, "No, I don't want to watch TV!"
Raise your voice - they won't hear you otherwise - "I'm reading! I don't
want to be disturbed!" Maybe they haven't heard you, with all that
racket; speak louder, yell: "I'm beginning to read Italo Calvino's new
novel!" Or if you prefer, don't say anything; just hope they'll leave you
alone. Find the most comfortable position: seated, stretched out, curled
up, or lying flat. Flat on your back, on your side, on your stomach.
Third Person Point of View
Unlike first person narrators, third person narrators do not take part in the story. The
narrator is outside the story and refers to the characters either by name or in the third
person, i.e. he felt, she thought, they did, etc. Third person narrators are very powerful
and can order the action as they please. They can also choose what to tell us about the
characters and what to leave out.
A third person point of view may be either omniscient, limited or objective.
Third Person Limited Point of View
The story is told by a narrator, but
the narrator is limited to only the
thoughts and feelings of the
protagonist. Third person limited is
also called third person subjective
and uses the character’s name as
well as the pronouns “she” or “he.”
For Example: “Ingrid was scared, so
she ran away from the clown.”
Buddy by Nigel Hinton
“Buddy stole the money form his mother's purse just before he left for
school. His mother was in the kitchen clearing up the breakfast things and
his father was still in bed. He tiptoed into the front room and slipped the
purse out of her handbag. He clicked it open and took out a £5 note. A
wave of disgust swept through him. Only two weeks ago he'd vowed to
himself that he was going to stop shoplifting and here he was stealing
from his own mother. He hadn't done that since he was a little kid and
had sometimes nicked the odd ten-pence. He was turning into a real
thief.”
Omniscient Point of View
Omniscient means all-knowing. The
omniscient narrator is like a god—she
knows everything.
Similar to third person limited the story will
use character’s names and the pronouns
“she” and “he.” But the narrator is no
longer limited to one character’s thoughts;
instead the narrator knows everyone’s
thoughts and actions. The story can move
to different locations and isn’t tied to a
single character.
For Example: “Ingrid was scared, so she ran
away from the clown. What she didn’t
know was that the clown was her father,
and he wanted to surprise her for her
birthday.”
“Many years ago my two friends had a
stepsister called Cinderella. She was a
badly dressed, disobedient and sulky
child, and to try and make her mend her
lazy ways my friends made her help with
the household chores. She had to help
them scrub the floors, tidy the house,
cook the meals and wash the pots. She
also had to help them wash and iron
clothes.”
The omniscient narrator may judge the
characters and comment on all their
actions and motives.
Third Person Objective Point of View
This is a very limited point of view because the narrator
resembles a television camera that can only see and hear what is
recorded.
For Example: The clown stood in the middle of the room while
the girl ran from it.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own
children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes.
They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the
corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather
than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses
and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They
greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they
went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by
their husbands, began to call to their children, and the
children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five
times. Bobby Martin ducked under his mother's grasping
hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones. His
father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took
his place between his father and his oldest brother.
Why is Point-of-View so Important?
• POV creates the narrative voice of
the story. Changing POV from first
person to omniscient will change the
entire voice of the book.
• POV affects style – sentence
structure, syntax, and diction.
• POV determines the scope of the
story – grand epic vs. intimate
character study.
• POV will affect story structure.
• POV will create the filter through
which all events are interpreted.
• POV creates distance or intimacy
with the characters.
Source
Sundberg, Ingrid. "The Point of Point-of-View « Ingrid's Notes." Ingrid's Notes. Word
Press, 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 12 Aug. 2011. <http://ingridsnotes.wordpress.com/
2011/03/06/the-point-of-point-of-view/>.