POINT OF VIEW is a specific term relating to the use of certain pronouns (and hence a perspective) in narrative. In can also be used to talk about someone's opinion, and opinion of a narrator can be important in a narrative, but always be sure which definition of this term you are using. In narrative, there are three types of POINT OF VIEW that you will need to be able to analyze:
Another important note about POINT OF VIEW: it can be OBJECTIVE or SUBJECTIVE. Objective points of view narrate only the action, and what is happening in the narrative; they make no comment on thoughts, feelings or digressions of opinion. Subjective, however, can do any or all of these things. First person is almost always subjective, and all of the third person examples below are subjective. Objective viewpoints in narrative are difficult to maintain and readers have a hard time connecting with such a choice, so you will not see it often. |
First Person Point of View
.First person point of view is fairly easy to identify. It follows the thoughts, feelings and choices of one character/personality, and that character/personality is also telling of the events that unfold. Authors use this point of view to help you identify and connect with the protagonist, since you get an insight into their ideas, reactions and emotions; you 'get inside their head.' It is also easier to write in first person than in the other perspectives. However, the first person is not always the protagonist; sometimes the narrator is telling the story of the protagonist, but they were there, so the story is also their story, in a way. Always be aware of who is telling the story in first person, and think about WHY the author chose to have them tell this tale.
EXAMPLES: “It was times like these when I thought my father, who hated guns and had never been to any wars, was the bravest man who ever lived.” - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home."-- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton First Person Pronouns:
|
Third Person Limited Point of View
Third person limited point of view is when an author uses one character to tell the story, but also has an outside narrator to describe the choices, thoughts, and feelings of this individual. The narrator is NOT often part of the story, but some very skillful writers have used a third person limited perspective this way.
Some reasons to use third person perspective are similar to using first person, but authors often also wish to call attention to things a first person perspective might not be able to see. If you use a first person perspective only, you won't be able to describe what is happening behind the protagonist's back, for instance. So, to describe all action, both action the protagonist knows about and those they don't, requires a broader perspective. Third person limited can be used with multiple characters, however, and when this occurs, it is easy to confuse it with third person omniscient point of view. Be careful of this. The difference between them is how many characters' perspectives are being considered AT THE SAME TIME. If an author switches characters between chapters, but still only communicates the thoughts, feelings and experiences of one of them, that is still third person limited. It's just third person limited using multiple characters. EXAMPLES: "He did not know how long it took, but later he looked back on this time of crying in the corner of the dark cave and thought of it as when he learned the most important rule of survival, which was that feeling sorry for yourself didn't work. It wasn't just that it was wrong to do, or that it was considered incorrect. It was more than that--it didn't work.”-- Gary Paulsen, Hatchet “Didn't this beat everything? A pretty and an ugly taking a stroll together. The warden came closer, confusion all over his middle-pretty face. Tally smiled. At least she was causing trouble to the end. "I'm Tally Youngblood," she said. "Make me pretty.”" --Scott Westerfeld, Uglies Third Person Pronouns:
|
Third Person Omniscient Point of View
Third person omniscient is when an author is ALL-KNOWING; that's what omniscient means. So, using this perspective, authors communicate the perceptions of many characters at once, often in the same incident or same scene. Third person omniscient is very difficult to maintain, and can easily be done poorly, so it is not a common perspective in fiction. EXAMPLES: "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. -- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters. "My dear Mr. Bennet,'' said his lady to him one day, ``have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?'' Mr. Bennet replied that he had not. "But it is,'' returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it.'' Mr. Bennet made no answer".-- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Third Person Pronouns:
|