Source: Google Images
Source: http://ingridsnotes.files.wordpress.com
Like a photographer who switches lenses
to vary the view of an object, a writer
chooses a method of narration that can
reveal, to a varying degree, what is
happening with in a story.
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When studying the perspective of the
narrator, the reader is concerned with
the relationship between the person
telling the story (the narrator) and the
agents referred to by the story teller
(the characters).
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Point of view refers to the method of
narrating.
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The three most common points of view
include: first-person, third-person
omniscient and third-person limited.
Source: Google Images
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First-Person
Second-Person
Third-Person
Third-Person Objective
Third-Person Limited
Third-Person Omniscient
Source: Google Images
Source: Google Images
1.
The distance of the narrator from the story.
2.
How much the narrator reveals about the
thoughts and feelings of the characters.
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‘I’ is telling the story. The
camera lens is firmly behind the
narrating character’s eyes, and
the reader only sees what the
narrating character sees and
knows.
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The narrator is usually the main
character/protagonist.
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Readers should watch for: I, me,
my, our, we, myself and
ourselves.
Source: http://this iscolossal.com
 It’s easy for readers to get into the head
of the protagonist. Readers can (many
times) identify with him/her.
 There’s an immediacy and intimacy
between the reader and the protagonist.
 It’s easier to share the protagonist’s
thoughts and feelings and emotions.
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The writer can only use
scenes that directly involve
the protagonist.
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It’s harder for the narrator to
describe him or herself
naturally.
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First person narrators cannot
always be trusted to examine
a situation honestly. They may
be blind to their own faults.
Source: http://www.writingwildly.com/blog.html
“It was a bad summer, and we all knew it. We liked
to phrase it that way, as if what was happening
was an aberration –a single season of pain and
doubt- instead of all-out informing people that
our lives were falling apart, plain and simple as
pie. I knew too much for someone who was
fifteen…”
--“Local Girls”– by Alice Hoffman
What happens if you changes the point of view to
third person-limited?
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is told from the
point of view of Scout, a young child. She
doesn't grasp the complex racial and
socioeconomic relations of her town — but the
reader does, because Scout gives information
that the reader can interpret.
Also, Scout's innocence reminds the reader of a
simple, "it's-not-fair" attitude that contrasts with
the rationalizations of other characters.
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Rare
Because it connects directly with
the reader, consider the intended
audience when you read a secondperson piece.
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What is said to the reader gives
some idea of the reader’s
personality, beliefs and issues.
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Example: You woke up in the
middle of the night and had no idea
why. Suddenly, you heard a strange
tapping noise. For a moment you
thought it might be…
Source: Google Images
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Characters are described by a narrator
outside the action.
The writing is about a subject.
The author discusses a subject without
injecting any personal pronouns, such as I,
me, my, our or we.
Authors enter into characters’ minds and
reveal their thoughts.
Types: Objective, Limited, Omniscient
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The narrator tells the story from only one
character’s perspective.
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All the reader knows is what the narrator
reveals of the character’s thoughts, feelings,
observations and experiences.
“Every night that winter he said aloud into the
dark of the pillow: Half-past four! Half-past
four! Till he felt his brain had gripped the
words and held them fast. Then he fell asleep
at once, as if a shutter had fallen…”
--“A Sunrise on the Veld” by Doris Lessing--
If the point of view changed, how would this
alter the story’s beginning?
“Simple Maria believed in love. That was what
made her a living legend. All her neighbors
came to her funeral, even the police and the
blind man from the kiosk who almost never
abandoned his business…”
--“Simple Maria” by Isabel Allende—
How does this narrators point of view affect
your perception of the character –based on
what you have read so far?
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The narrator is all-knowing, and can see into
the minds of more than one character.
This point of view, which is the most
established, was used by Chaucer in the 14th
century and by the early novelists of the 18th
century.
Allows writers the freedom to reveal a variety
of information about a number of characters.
Narrator can see into the past and into the future.
Narrator relates characters’ thoughts and
comments on events.
 Writer can make comments about the character and
their motivations.
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Source: Google Images
“In the own of –(no matter where) there
circulated two local news papers (no matter
when). Now the Flying Post was longestablished and respectable –alias bigoted
and Tory; the Examiner was spirited and
intelligent –alias newfangled and democratic.
Every week, these newspapers contained
articles abusing each other…”
--“Christmas Storms and Sunshine”--
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Why do you think the writer chose thirdperson omniscient point of view for this
fictional story?
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If the point of view changed, how would that
alter the story’s effectiveness?
Consider the point of view in fiction.
What is this point of view influenced by? –
culture, ethnicity, family values, economic
status, biases???
3. Content is crucial. The author may be arguing
for a particular solution or may be examining a
controversial issue. What the author says,may
tell you what he or she believes.
4. Much about the author’s point of view is
implied, not stated.
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2.
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See what insights you gain about a narrator by
observing how other characters respond to him or her.
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Be aware that a point of view can shift in some stories.
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Draw conclusions about the narrator. Is he or she
always reliable? What personal flaws or ulterior
motives might the narrator reveal, even
unconsciously?
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Infer why the writer chose a particular point of view.
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Challenge yourself to explore how the story might be
different if told from another perspective?
Think about the narrator's perspective. Think about
elements, such as gender, age, nationality or
anything else.
For "objective" narrators, consider biases that the
narrator has, who he or she decides to focus on and
anything else that indicates a subjective point of view.
Keep in mind that authors deliberately select
characters in a literary work to achieve an overall
effect upon the reader.
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How does the point of view of Poe's
protagonist in "The Tell-Tale Heart"
contribute to the suspenseful tone?
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If this story was written from another
perspective, would it be as effective at
conveying the theme of guilt?
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unreliable first-person narrators- This means that they
either can't or won't tell us what really happened.
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Narrator talks directly to readers, which serve as his or
her audience.
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The narrator tries to justify how he is not mad. This
helps the readers to identify with the narrator, as any
kind of normal person on the same level, who simply
went crazy.
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If this story had been written in another point of view, it
would have not been effective in conveying the
themes of guilt, perverseness or human wickedness.
Point of view is important to any story, because
it can help create the mood, and setting of a
piece. "The Tell-Tale Heart" is a good example
of this.
In this story, Poe uses first-person point of view
to create suspense and tension, while letting
the reader try to discover the thoughts of the
narrator.
“As in many of his other short stories, Poe
does not name the narrator. A possible
explanation for this is that the unnamed
narrator becomes every human being,
thereby enhancing the universality of the
short story. In other words, the narrator
represents anyone who has ever acted
perversely or impulsively–and then had to
pay for his deed. “-Michael J. Cummings