Unit 1: Fiction
Point of View
Fiction is like a spider’s
web, attached ever so lightly
perhaps, but still attached to
life at all four corners.
—Virginia Woolf
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What is fiction?
• Fiction is a genre, or category of literary
composition, that includes any work of prose
that tells an invented or imaginary story.
What are the two main
forms of fiction?
• The two main forms of fiction are the short
story and the novel.
What are your favorite
types of fiction?
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Realistic fiction
Mystery
Science fiction
Romance
Historical fiction
Horror
Fantasy
Sports fiction
What are the purposes of
fiction?
• To entertain readers
• To enlighten readers by sharing the human
experience
• To provide readers with an escape from reality
• To teach readers empathy
• To help readers explore unknown worlds
What are the five elements
of fiction?
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Plot
Point of view
Characters
Setting
Theme
Point of View
• Point of view is the vantage point or
perspective from which a story is told.
You never really understand a person until
you consider things from his point of view.
—Harper Lee
How does the point of view that an author uses
to tell a story affect your interpretation and
understanding of the selection?
Point of View
• In fiction, the two most common types of point
of view are
– first-person point of view, in which the narrator is
inside the story and involved in the plot
and
– third-person point of view, in which the narrator is
outside the story and observes and comments on
the characters and plot
First-Person Point of View
• In first-person point of view, the narrator
– is a character in the story who witnesses or
participates in the action
– uses words like “I” and “we” in telling the story
Example of First-Person
Point of View
Doodle told them it was I who had taught him to walk, so
everyone wanted to hug me, and I began to cry.
“What are you crying for?” asked Daddy, but I couldn’t
answer. They did not know that I did it for myself; that pride,
whose slave I was, spoke to me louder than all their voices, and
that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a
crippled brother.
—from “The Scarlet Ibis,”
by James Hurst
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of
telling a story from the first-person point of
view?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Third-Person Point of View
• In third-person point of view, the narrator
– is someone who stands outside the action and
observes
– is not a character in the story
– uses words like “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they”
• Third-person point of view is the most
common point of view used by writers.
Third-Person Point of View
• There are two variations of third-person point
of view:
– In third-person limited point of view, the thoughts
and feelings of only the narrator or a single
character are revealed.
– In third-person omniscient point of view, the
thoughts and feelings of all characters are
revealed.
Example of Third-Person
Limited Point of View
At daybreak Rainsford, lying near the swamp, was
awakened by a sound that made him know that he had new things
to learn about fear. It was a distant sound, faint and wavering, but
he knew it. It was the baying of a pack of hounds.
Rainsford knew he could do one of two things. He could
stay where he was and wait. That was suicide. He could flee. That
was postponing the inevitable. For a moment he stood there,
thinking. An idea that held a wild chance came to him, and,
tightening his belt, he headed away from the swamp.
—from “The Most Dangerous Game,”
by Richard Connell
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of
telling a story from the third-person limited
point of view?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Example of Third-Person
Omniscient Point of View
Mr. Pan was worried about his mother. He had been
worried about her when she was
• in China, and now he was worried
about her in New York, although he had thought that once he got
her out of his ancestral village of Szechuen and safely away from
the local bullies, who took over when the distant government fell,
his anxieties would be ended. …It soon became clear, however,
that safety was not enough for old Mrs. Pan. She did not even
appreciate the fact, which he repeated again and again, that had she
remained in the village, she would now have been dead…
—from “The Good Deed,”
by Pearl S. Buck
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of
telling a story from the third-person omniscient
point of view?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Second-Person Point of View
• In second-person point of view, the narrator
– tells a story by positioning readers within the story
as the main character
– addresses readers directly, by using the word “you”
• Second-person point of view is rarely used in
fiction.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of
telling a story from the second-person point of
view?
Advantages
Disadvantages
Reliability of the Narrator
• No matter what point of view is used in a
story, readers must determine if the narrator is
reliable or unreliable.
Reliable Narrator
• A reliable narrator
– has a credible (believable) voice in a story
– tries to remain objective in telling a story
– makes a connection with readers by interpreting
events accurately
– has values and motivations that are similar to those
of readers
– gains the trust of readers
Unreliable Narrator
• An unreliable narrator
– has an incredible (unbelievable) voice in the story
– struggles to remain objective in telling the story
– fails to make a connection with readers because he
or she misinterprets events
– has values and motivations that may differ from
those of readers
– may appear suspect to readers
SUMMARY: Determining
Point of View
• To determine the point of view of a story, ask
yourself the following questions:
– Who is telling the story?
• Is this person a character in the story?
• Is more than one perspective presented?
– Does the narrator comment on the events of the
story, or simply present them?
– Does the narrator seem unbiased and trustworthy?
– How might the story be different if told from
another character’s point of view?