Who is doing the narration? Who is telling the story? Point of View Who is doing the narration? Who is telling the story?

Point of view is the perspective from which the story is told.

Point of View The narrator is the person TELLING the story. It is either a narrator outside the story or in the story. In literature and storytelling, a point of view is the related experience of the narrator—not that of the author. Authors rarely, in fiction insert or inject their own voice. Texts encourage the reader to identify with the narrator, not with the author.

Point of View – Pronouns I We Us

First Person Narration In the first-person point of view, a character in the story does the narration. The narrator is inside the character’s mind, revealing ONLY that character’s thoughts and feelings, AND is participating in the action of the story. What can be shown is limited to the character's observation and thoughts, and any skewed perceptions in the narrator will be passed on to the reader. A first-person narrator may be a major character and is often the protagonist, but can also be a minor character narrating the story.

First Person Narration - Example It began as the worst summer of my life. The evening before the first day of summer vacation, my mother broke the bad news to me. I was in the kitchen washing dishes… “Tasha,’ my ma broke into my happy thoughts, ‘your father and I decided that you’re old enough to take on certain responsibilities." from The Tail by Joyce Hansen

Third Person Narration Third-person point of view occurs when the narrator does not take part in the story

Third Person Narration – Pronouns He / Him She / Her They

Types of Third Person Narration Limited Omniscient

3rd Person Limited The third person limited point of view picks one character and follows him around for the duration of the book. The narrator is inside the character’s mind, revealing ONLY that character’s thoughts and feelings, but the narrator is NOT participating in the action. The narrator may be more observant than the character, but is limited to what that one character could theoretically observe.

3rd Person Limited - Example Rainsford remembered the shots. They had come from the right, and doggedly he swam in that direction, swimming with slow, deliberate strokes, conserving his strength. For a seemingly endless time he fought the sea. He began to count his strokes; he could do possibly a hundred more and then-- from “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell

3rd Person Omniscient (ALL) A third person omniscient narrator can shift focus from character to character with knowledge of everyone's thoughts and feelings This narrator also has knowledge of events of which no single character would be aware.

3rd Person Omniscient - Example Antonio danced in carefully. He knew Felix had the habit of playing possum when hurt, to sucker an opponent within reach of the powerful bombs he carried in each fist. Felix got up as fast as he could in his own corner, groggy but still game. He didn’t even hear the count. In a fog, he heard the roaring of the crowd, who seemed to have gone insane. His head cleared to hear the bell sound at the end of the round. from “The Amigo Brothers” by Piri Thomas

Applying Point of View to a Selection: When reading, always consider the perspective or point of view of the story or novel. Ask yourself: What point of view is being used? What evidence do you have to confirm this point of view? Why do you think the author chose this point of view? How does this point of view affect: The credibility of the story? The way the reader understands characters? The style of writing? How much the reader understands about the plot? How much the reader must infer or connect the dots of the story?