Notes on “Point of View” Honors Handbook Page ___

What is Point of View? The angle of vision from which a story is told. To uncover the type of point of view, answer these three questions: 1. Who is the narrator? 2. What part does the narrator play in the story? 3. What are the limits of the narrator’s knowledge of characters’ thoughts and feelings?

What is a Narrator? The voice or character who is telling the story. The narrator of a story is not the author! The author “creates” the narrator The type of narrator chosen is deliberate; it affects the meaning of the entire story.

Very Important!!! Changing the narrator changes the point of view, which can greatly impact the story. Think of the story of three little pigs if it were told from the wolves point of view. Think of the story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” if it were told from Mrs. Mitty’s point of view? “Most Dangerous Game” from Zaroff’s?

Types of Point of View There are two types: –First-Person –Third-Person

First Person Point of View Called “first person” because first person pronouns (I, me, we, us, our) are used. The narrator can be a major character (the story is told by and is chiefly about the narrator). The narrator can be a minor character (the narrator tells a story that focuses on someone else, but the narrator is still a character in the story.)

Why use first-person? First-person point of view offers immediacy. The reader perceives what the individual “I” perceives in “real time.” We experience it as the narrator experiences it.

Readers Beware!!! The first-person narrator understands other characters only by observing what they say and do. This narrator cannot enter the minds of the other characters. If the narrator is too young, developmentally disabled, or an immoral human being, he may not be a trustworthy narrator.

Third Person Point of View Called third-person because third-person pronouns (he, him, she, her, they, them) are used. The narrator doesn’t always have to be a participant in what’s going on in the story.

Types of Third-Person Point of View Objective 3 rd Person –The narrator knows nothing about what other characters are thinking or feeling. The narrator merely describes what others say and do. Think of a surveillance camera. Limited Omniscient –The narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of only one character but not the others. Omniscient 3 rd Person –Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters and can freely tell us everything.

Special Types of Narrators Naïve or Innocent Narrator—a narrator that fails to understand all of the implications in a story. Unreliable Narrator—story is told by a person who is deceptive, deluded, deranged, or has reasons to distort the truth.

Don’t Forget The choice of point of view is critical to the overall meaning of the story. You must ask “why?” Why did the author choose this particular narrator and this type of point of view? What was the author’s intention?