Key Terms and Vocabulary Point of View

OBJECTIVES By the time you finish taking notes on this presentation, you should understand the definitions of the following terms and be able to identify examples of each: First-person point of view Second-person point of view Third-person limited point of view Third-person omniscient point of view Unreliable narrator

POINT OF VIEW In general, point of view refers to the perspective through which a text is told. There are four major types of point of view, some of which are used more frequently than others. For each one, we are going to discuss: The general definition How you can tell if a text is written in that point of view The benefits of that point of view The limitations of that point of view

FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW General Definition The story is told through a narrator who is also a character in the story, using “I” or “we” pronouns. Narrator is often the protagonist of the story, though it can also often be a more minor character or an outside observer. How can you tell if a story is written in first-person? Look for “I” or “we” pronouns in the narration Sometimes this can be subtle – especially if it is not the protagonist as the narrator of the story! Be very careful.

FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW Benefits of First Person Allows for a stronger relationship between the character and the reader Creates the illusion of reality, because we are more used to only being in one person’s thoughts at a time Limitations of First Person We can only see events in the story that the narrator directly experiences Depending on the narrator, the viewpoint character could have various biases, personal limitations or weaknesses that leave them unaware of what is going on around them or unable to fully comprehend it. We will return to this concept in a moment when we talk about unreliable narrators.

SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW General Definition The story is told through a narrator who refers to the reader as “you,” which makes the audience a character in the story. The rarest form of point of view in literature, especially for an entire text to be written in second person. How can you tell if a story is written in second person? Look for the pronoun “you” used exclusively in narration.

SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW Benefits of Second Person As it makes the reader a character in the story, it can create a greater connection between the reader and the story. Forces the reader to empathize with the character Limitations of Second Person Difficult to do well or effectively Oftentimes awkward or somewhat amateurish if it’s not done well! Note The most effective way to use second person is likely to include shorter segments within a larger work that are written in second person.

THIRD-PERSON POINT OF VIEW Third person point of view is the most commonly used point of view in literature. In third-person, the narrator is an unspecified entity or person who is NOT a character in the story. All characters are referred to with third-person pronouns such as “he,” “she,” “it,” or “they.” There are two main forms of third-person point of view: Third-person limited Third-person omniscient

THIRD-PERSON LIMITED General Definition In third-person limited, the narrator only has access to the inner thoughts of one character and generally tells the story from the perspective of just that one character at a time. How can you tell if a story is written in third person limited? Look for evidence of the narrator giving you access to a character’s internal thoughts or monologue. If you only get access to the thoughts or monologue of a single character at a time, then it is likely a story written in third-person limited. Note that the author can change the viewpoint character in the story and still be writing in third person limited. However, there are usually clear indications that the author has shifted or changed the viewpoint character.

THIRD-PERSON OMNISCIENT General Definition In third-person omniscient, the narrator potentially has access to the inner thoughts and monologue of EVERY character in a story. How can you tell if a story is written in third person limited? Look for evidence of the narrator giving you access to a character’s internal thoughts or monologue. If the author seems to shift between multiple characters’ internal thoughts or feelings within a single section of a story, then it is likely third-person omniscient.

UNRELIABLE NARRATOR One advanced topic related to narration and point of view is that of the unreliable narrator. Not all narrators are created equal! It is important to remember that some of the narrators in the novels and stories you read are unreliable – that is, they cannot be trusted. There are a variety of reasons for this (which you can read about in more depth in the extension resource in this objective). Some of them include: The character is biased in some way The character is trying to justify his or her own actions The character is too young or not mentally capable enough to fully understand what is going on around him or her The character is from a certain background and they cannot understand alternate points of view Many others! Look at the extension resource if you are curious.