1. Elements of Literature
Point of View

2. “The last man on Earth sat alone in a room
“The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock at the door.” the world’s shortest horror story
-Frederick Brown

3. Point of View
The manner in which a story is being told—including who is telling the story and how much information they can reveal.
The way the author allows the reader to “see” and “hear” what is happening in the story
Point of View determines how much (or how little) information the reader gets

4. Point of View Types of POV: First Person Third Person Omniscient
Third Person Limited
Third Person Objective
Second Person

5. P.O.V. continued Characteristics: Signal Words: I, me, my, mine, we,
First Person
The narrator is also a character in the story.
The narrator offers a personal account of their own experiences or describes what happens to other characters as he or she sees it
Characteristics:
Limited:
focused on only one character’s thoughts and viewpoints
Describes only what the narrator sees or hears
Signal Words:
I, me, my, mine, we,
us, ours

6. P.O.V. continued Third Person Signal Words:
The narrator is not a character
The narrator is outside of the action
Storyteller or reporter
Signal Words:
he, she, her, they,
them
3rd person also refers
to characters by their
names

7. P.O.V. continued 3rd Person Omniscient (all-knowing) point of view
Can see the thoughts & emotions of all (or numerous) characters
Can report on events happening in different locations at the same time

8. P.O.V. continued 3rd Person Limited
focuses on only one character’s thoughts and viewpoints
Can only report on what they see or hear

9. P.O.V. continued 3rd Person Objective “Reporter Style”
Used in nonfiction
Describes only what can be seen or heard
Detached; Lacks emotion (no thoughts or feelings)

10. P.O.V. continued Second Person
-- the author uses “you” and speaks directly to the reader; Very rare
Characteristics
The author speaks directly to the reader
Told from “your” perspective
The reader feels like he or she is in the action
Signal Words
You, your

11. Narrator The narrator is the voice that tells a story.
The narrator is not the same as the writer.
Sometimes the narrator is a character in the story
At other times, the narrator is an outside voice

12. Unreliable Narrator
As a reader, we must always ask if we can trust the narrator. Some narrators are unreliable.
An unreliable narrator is one who tells a story or interprets events in a way that makes the reader doubt what he or she is saying.
An unreliable narrator is usually a character in the story.
A narrator can be unreliable for different reasons:
Too young to understand
May not have all the facts
Too emotional; unstable

13. STOP
End of Notes

14. What is happening here?
TRUE! --nervous --very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses --not destroyed --not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily --how calmly I can tell you the whole story.

15. Sentence Structure = Pace
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture --a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees --very gradually --I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

16. A little more convincing
Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me. You should have seen how wisely I proceeded --with what caution --with what foresight --with what dissimulation I went to work! I was never kinder to the old man than during the whole week before I killed him. Wait...what?!

17. What do you think? Can we trust this narrator?