Overview
This lecture explains the concept of point of view in literature, focusing on narration styles in fiction and prose.
Types of Point of View
- Point of view determines from whose perspective the story is told.
- First-person point of view uses a character inside the story as the narrator, with pronouns like I, me, my, we, and us.
- First-person narration can be in past tense ("I did this") or present tense ("I do this").
- Third-person point of view features a narrator outside the story using pronouns like he, she, they.
Third-Person Narration Varieties
- Third-person limited restricts the narrator to the thoughts and actions of one character or a limited group.
- The third-person limited narrator cannot reveal things outside the focus characters' experiences.
- Third-person omniscient allows the narrator to know and share everything about all characters' thoughts and actions.
- Omniscient narrators can shift between multiple characters' perspectives and knowledge.
Second-Person Narration
- Second-person point of view addresses the reader directly as "you," as in "You wake up and walk to the kitchen."
- Second-person narration is rare and challenging to sustain throughout a story.
Review / Summary
- First-person: narrator is a character in the story (I, me, my).
- Third-person limited: narrator reports on a limited group (he, she, they).
- Third-person omniscient: narrator knows everything in the story.
- Second-person: narrator addresses the reader as a character (you).
Key Terms & Definitions
- Point of View — the perspective from which a story is told.
- First-person — narration by a character within the story, using "I" or "we."
- Third-person limited — outside narrator with access to only one or a few characters’ thoughts and experiences.
- Third-person omniscient — outside narrator who knows all characters' thoughts and events.
- Second-person — narration addressing the reader directly as "you."
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review examples of each narration style in assigned readings.