1. Narrative Perspective
Author’s Point of View

2. Dialogue and Narration
Dialogue = when characters speak.
Narration = when the narrator speaks.
“Quotation marks” separate narration from dialogue.
Example
“Help” my cousin Jack said.

3. Identifying Narrative Perspective
It's about the narrator (who tells the story)
We're not looking at dialogue.
We don't care what characters say.
Only the narrator's voice matters.

4. Perspectives and Signal Words
Pronoun Case
We are trying to figure out the narrator's view point on the story.
Perspectives and Signal Words
First-Person
I, me, my, mine, we, us, ours,
Second-Person
you, your
Third-Person
he, she, her, they, them
(also character's names)

5. First-Person Narrator is a part of the story (character).
Often uses I or we.
Example
I went home. Tim came over. I couldn't play.

6. Second-Person Usually for instructions
Uses “You”; from “your” perspective.
Examples
First, gather your materials. Add 1 cup sugar to flour.

7. Three Types of Third-Person Narration
Narrator usually isn’t involved.
Tells other's stories.
Lots of “He,” “She,” & character names.
Three Types of Third-Person Narration
Does the narrator tell…
Thoughts and Feelings of Characters?

8. Third-Person Omniscient
Narrator is all knowing.
Narrator tells thoughts and feelings of more than one character.
Omni = All Scient = Knowing
Example
Tim was mad at Shay. He blamed her. Shay knew Tim would be mad, but she wanted to live her life.

9. Third-Person Limited Narrator is limited to one character.
Tells thoughts and feelings of one character
Example
Tim was mad at Shay. He blamed her. Shay just left without saying anything. She left a note and then left him.

10. Third-Person Objective
Narrator does not reveal any character’s thoughts or feelings.
Only character’s dialogue and actions are narrated.
Example
Tim slammed the door. He walked upstairs & read a note from Shay. He kicked her trash can & started crying.

11. Tips on Identifying
Check 1st or 2nd-person before worrying about objective, limited, or omniscient.
Ask, “Whose story is the narrator telling: his, mine, or someone else’s?”
Focus on narration not dialogue.

12. Practice Read the following passages.
Determine the narrator’s perspective.
Write down your answer.

13. 1
When I was four months old, my mother died suddenly and my father was left to look after me all by himself… I had no brothers or sisters. So through boyhood, from the age of four months onward, there was just us two, my father and me. We lived in an old gypsy caravan behind a filling station”

14. 1
First-person
“When I was four months old…”
“We lived in…”

15. 2
The huge man dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool. The small man stepped behind him. "Lennie!" he said sharply. "Lennie, for God sakes don’t drink so much." Lennie continued to snort into the pool. The small man leaned over and shook him by the shoulder. "Lennie you gonna be sick like you was last night." Lennie dipped his whole head under, hat and all… "Tha’s good," he said. "You drink some, George." He smiled happily.

16. Third-person Objective:2
Third-person Objective:
The narrator does not reveal any character thoughts or feelings. In the passage it just shows George and Lennie talking.

17. 3
The previous night, make your plans for the next day and write them down… If you attend an exclusive Samurai’s party and feel timid, you cannot do your part in making it a successful party. You had first better prepare by convincing yourself that you will have a grand time. And you should feel grateful for the invitation.

18. 3 Second-Person: “make your plans for the next day…”
“If you attend an exclusive Samurai’s party…”
“…you cannot do your part in making it a successful party.”

19. 4
Harold Davis took a deep breath and slowly started to peel the gauze from the wound on his grandmother’s leg. “Hold on, Grandma. I’m almost done,” He said quietly. “Don’t worry, baby. It doesn’t hurt too much,” she quietly replied. “Just take your time.” Harold glanced up at his grandmother lying on the couch. He could tell she was in pain from the way she gripped the cushions, but still she managed to smile back at him.

20. Third-Person Omniscient:4
Third-Person Omniscient:
“Harold Davis took a deep breath…”
“He could tell she was in pain from the way she gripped the cushions, but still she managed to smile back at him.”

21. 5
They were standing under a tree, each with an arm round the other's neck, and Alice knew which was which in a moment, because one of them had "DUM" embroidered on his collar, and the other "DEE." "I suppose they've each got "TWEEDLE" round at the back of the collar," she said to herself. They stood so still that she quite forgot they were alive, and she was just looking round to see if the word "TWEEDLE" was written at the back of each collar, when she was startled by a voice coming from the one marked "DUM."

22. Third-Person Limited:5
Third-Person Limited:
“They were standing under a tree…” “Alice knew which was which…”
“They stood so still that she quite forgot they were alive…”
“…she was startled by a voice coming from the one marked ‘Dum’.”

23. 6 Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Leslie sat in front of Paul. She had two long, brown pigtails that reached all the way down to her waist. Paul saw those pigtails, and a terrible urge came over him. He wanted to pull a pigtail. He wanted to wrap his fist around it, feel the hair between his fingers, and just yank. He thought it would be fun to tie the pigtails together, or better yet, tie them to her chair. But most of all, he just wanted to pull one.

24. Third-Person Limited:6
Third-Person Limited:
“Paul saw those pigtails, and a terrible urge came over him.”
“He thought it would be fun to tie the pigtails together, or better yet, tie them to her chair.”
“But most of all, he just wanted to pull one.”

25. 7 A Sleepy Story by Elisabeth Burrowes
Once there was a little girl. It was time to go to sleep. She hopped into bed a covered herself up to her chin with her big red blanket. She said to her mother, “Tell me a story.” So her mother said: “Once upon a time there was a giraffe, a little giraffe with a long, long neck. It was time to go to sleep. He said to his mother ‘Tell me a story.’ So his mother said, “Once upon a time there was fox, a little red fox with a big, bushy tail. It was time to go to sleep. He said to his mother, “Tell me a story”

26. Third-person Objective:7
Third-person Objective:
The narrator does not reveal any character thoughts or feelings. The passage just shows the little girl and her mother talking.