English 2413 Lecture 3 Narration and Point of View Key Concepts First Presentation

Narrative voice and focus The narrator and its voice The narrator is the teller of the story and the reader often experiences the story as if listening to the voice of the narrator The narrative and its focus This is the perspective from which the characters and events and other aspects of the story are represented Play the audio!

Point of View = a combination of voice and focus + may also include general matters of value. Style and tone may also contribute to point of view # may change throughout the narrative Play the audio!

Tense The tense of the narration can have an affect For example, all three of today’s novels are narrated in the present tense If they were changed to the past tense, they would read very differently, … they might feel less immediate or less conversational, the fictional worlds created ‘less real’

Narrator, point of view, character Focal characters Sometimes the story is narrated by a focal (or focalising) character and we may perceive the story from her point of view Non-character narrators In other stories, the narrator is not a character and may seem more like a disembodied or unidentified voice Play the audio

Types of Narration: First, Second, and Third Person Narration Stories can be told in first, second or third person narration. Each person has its own pronouns Third person: he, she, or they Second Person: You First Person: I or we Let’s have a look at the types in some detail in the following slides, starting with third person narration (we’ll do second and first in following presentations)

Third Person Narration The third person narrator tells the reader what has happened by referring to all characters using the pronouns he/she or they. Third person narration is usually external, the narrator is not a character in the story, and does not participate in the action. Three different kinds of third person narrators: 1. Omniscient (unlimited) narrators 2. Limited narrators, and 3, Objective narrators. Let’s look at those in the following slides.

Omniscient Narrators Have access to the thoughts perceptions and experiences of more than one character, often of several, Usually focus selectively on a few important characters

Limited Narrators external third person narrators tell story from a distinct point of view usually that of a single character, revealing that character’s thoughts on relating the action from her or his perspective the limited narrators focal character is also known as a central consciousness sometimes the limits narrator will reveal the thoughts and feelings small number of characters in order to enhance the story told about the central consciousness

Objective Narrators the objective narrator does not explicitly report the character’s thoughts and feelings that may indirectly suggest them through character speech and actions stories using an objective narrator consist mostly of dialogue and minimal description