1. Point of View Jennifer Bennett First Person Central
First Person Peripheral
Third Person Limited
Third Person Omniscient
Third Person Shifting
Objective
Stream of Consciousness
Jennifer Bennett
Sanderson High School

2. Point of View (POV) Definition: Clues to help determine POV:
The relationship between the story and the storyteller (narrator)
The eyes through which the story is seen
Clues to help determine POV:
Is the narrator a character in the story?
How much is narr. allowed to know?
Can the narr. get inside the characters’ heads and report their thoughts and feelings?

3. First Person Central POV
The 1st Person Central narrator—
uses first person pronouns (“I”)
is the main (central) character in the story—the protagonist
relates the events in which he or she is involved.
is close to the action.
gives a limited scope of the story, a limited view of the truth
readers can know only what the narrator knows and chooses to tell us.

4. First Person Central POV
Reader

5. First Person Peripheral POV
Same basic rules as First Person Central
Narrator is a character in the story
Refers to himself or herself as “I”
Tells the story as he/she sees it
Major Difference
Narrator is NOT the protagonist
Tells the protagonist’s story through his or her limited perspective

6. First Person Peripheral POV
Reader

7. Third Person Limited POV
Narrator—
tells the story through the eyes of one particular character and
refers to that character in the 3rd person (“he” or “she”).
is not a character in the story.
reveals only the thoughts of the one character;
does not have access to the thoughts of any other character--limited to his or her perspective.
has complete access to the main character’s thoughts and feelings.

8. Third Person Limited N
Pro/MC
Reader

9. Third Person Omniscient POV
Author becomes an all-knowing narrator with a “God’s-eye” viewpoint.
Narrator stands outside of the story and has complete access into the minds of all of the characters.
Narrator is not limited in any way--has access to past, present, and future knowledge that none of the characters may have.

10. Third Person Omniscient POV
Pro/MC
past
future
present
Reader

11. Third Person Shifting POV
Like third person limited p.o.v. but is able to shift from one character’s perspective to another’s (without making any omniscient connections between them)
Not omniscient--
can only get into one character’s mind at a time
cannot tell us anything that each character doesn’t think, feel, or know for himself/herself

12. Objective POV
Objective: observable facts only; no emotions; no judgments; no interpretations
Subjective: allowing emotions, judgments, and interpretations to color the objective facts
Narrator is not a character in the story; refers to characters in the third person
“Fly on the wall” or camera view
Can only reveal what we would see and hear if we were an invisible observer
Does not go into a character’s mind
Maintains extreme objectivity
Does not explain, judge, or evaluate
Faithfully records just the facts
Leaves the readers to find the meaning for themselves

13. Stream of Consciousness
Often uses “I” like first person p.o.v.—but not the same perspective—
presents a character’s mind in its pre-editor state as it
rambles from one level of consciousness to another
presents a character’s mind in the raw—without filters, without regard for logical sequence, chronology, syntax, or punctuation
Often makes no distinction between various levels of reality—between dreams, imaginings, memories, or real sensory perceptions

14. (Character Repository)

15. More characters/shapes

16. Grouped Illustrations