2. Perspective and narrative in literature. Part 1
Writing perspectives
Perspective and narrative in literature. Part 1

3. Narrative/ perspective
There is a difference between narrative ( who is telling the story) and perspective (the background of the storyteller, what he or she wants to accomplish with the story and maybe why he or she wants to tell the story). Are we aware of the author’s perspective and the narrative – and of the difference between the two - when we read?

4. Narrative Different people telling the story:
1st person – the “I” figure. Effect “closeness”, contact between reader and storyteller.
2nd person – the “you” figure. Effect extreme directness, confrontation, sometimes doubts and questions for the reader.
3rd person – the “he” or “she” figure. Effect overview, sometimes distance from the story.

5. Read the following fragments and decide whether they are 1st ( I form), 2nd (you form) or 3rd (he, she it form) person narrative. Consider also the effect: closeness, contact, confrontation, doubt, directness ?
“I don’t get it, your sister says to you. You never want to go there anymore. I wish I did, you answer, shrugging defensively, but every time I set foot in that house, I feel I’m being sucked back into the past. Is that so terrible? You’re not going to tell me all you memories are bad…..” (Paul Auster, Invisible) “Don’t be afraid. My telling can’t hurt you in spite of what I have done and I promise to lie quietly in the dark – weeping perhaps or occasionally seeing the blood once more – but I will never again unfold my limbs to rise up and bare teeth..” (Toni Morrison, A Mercy) “Her refusal, though unexpected, did not permanently daunt Clare. His experience of women was great enough for him to be aware that the negative often meant nothing more than the preface to the positive…” (Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D’Urbevilles)

6. Perspective Perspective can be:
Objective (facts are presented and the reader is left to draw his or her o.w. conclusions). Often used in newspaper articles.
Subjective (the narrator introduces his or her feelings or attributes feelings and associations to characters. The reader “sees things” the way the writer intends.

7. Writing perspectives and The Curious Incident:
Perspective and narrative in literature. Part 2

8. This film is For Starters!
The Best of Rain Man

9. Writing perspective in The Curious Incident
In the last lesson we talked about narrative and perspective in literature. By now, you have a fair idea of authors’ intentions and the techniques used to achieve what they want. The book we’re studying is written from a remarkable perspective – that of a young man with autism. As you know, perspective has a great deal of influence on writing style.

10. A few facts about Autism.
Autism more than just the comical situations we see in films like Rainman. People with autism think in a different way. We all think differently, but autism is different again. People with autism
often think “literally”.
often think and remember in a “film-like way” (linear)
often concentrate on details.
are often very fond of routine
often find it hard to follow conversations or social situations.
are very often completely truthful.
are often much more sensitive to sounds, smells, touch and sights
sometimes panic when something goes wrong on nrs. 1 – 6
can sometimes react strongly when they are in a panic.

11. Assignment
Armed with your knowledge of writing perspectives and now also of autism, you are ready to complete the work sheet on “The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime. Your first assignment, however, is to Google mark Haddon and to answer question 5 on your worksheet. Good Luck!