Point of View
|
Description
|
Examples
|
Effect and Limitations
|
| First person |
The narrator is a character in the story. As such, the story is told from the first person singular point of view (“I”). |
- Great Expectations
- Diary of Anne Frank
- Flowers for Algernon
|
- Highly limited point of view
- Reader unable to escape narrator’s bias
|
| Second person |
The reader is a character in the story. As such, the story is told using the second person singular pronoun (“you”). |
- Books in the Choose Your Own Adventure series
- Self-help/advice books
- Some poetry
|
- Limited subjects
- Can feel a bit artificial
|
| Third person omniscient |
The narrator is not a participant in the story. However, the narrator has an omniscient (all-knowing) point of view and can comment on and describe all characters’ inner thoughts and feelings. |
- The Lord of the Rings
- The Lemony Snicket series
|
- Can feel a bit artificial
- Can overwhelm the reader with so many perspectives
|
| Third person limited |
The narrator is not a participant in the story. The narrator has limited knowledge and cannot “see” into multiple character’s minds. |
- The Giver
- The Old Man and the Sea
|
- A traditionally used format and so can feel dated
|
0 Comments