Point of View in A Short Story

Objective Point of View Writer tells what happens The narrator NEVER tells the reader anything about the character’s thoughts or feelings The narrator remains as a detached observer of the story

First Person Point of View Narrator is part of the action of the story The reader should question the narrator’s account of the events

Third Person Point of View Narrator does not participate in the action of the story as a character The narrator tells the reader how the characters think and feel The reader learns about the characters through this outside voice Two types of point of view: limited and omniscient

Narrator knowledge is limited to one character (either major or minor) Third Person Limited Narrator knowledge is limited to one character (either major or minor) The story is limited to the one character who is telling the story

Third Person Omniscient Third person narrator knows everything about all characters The reader knows about the thoughts and feelings of all the characters in the story Omniscient means all-knowing

A fiction reader thinks about… How does the point of view affect your responses to the characters? How is your response influenced by how much the narrator knows? How objective is the narrator? First person narrators are not always trustworthy. The reader should determine what is true and what is not.