Have you ever been won over by someone else's idea that you hadn't considered? If so, you may have changed your point of view. Point of view affects everything, including your perception of the world and the decisions you make.
Point of view also impacts your writing. This introduction, for example, is asking you questions and addressing you directly. Without those pronouns, the sentence is no longer personal, has a different tone, and loses its impact. Let's look more closely at the types of point of view, and how they're used in literature.
Point of view: meaning
Let's start with defining what a point of view is.
A point of view is a way we choose to perceive a situation.
When you are asked to give an opinion on something, you are providing a point of view. This is a particular way that you have decided to perceive a topic. If someone were to offer a different perspective on a topic, your point of view might change. The more information you have available, the more opportunity you have to alter your point of view.
This also applies to literature. The narrator's knowledge (or lack thereof) directly impacts the amount of information that can be offered to a reader from the narrative perspective. Let's look in more detail at the narrator and its function.
'Point of view' is often used interchangeably with 'narrative perspective' or 'narrative mode'. It can also be shortened to POV.
The narrator's point of view
In literature, the point of view is the perspective from which the narrator describes their version of events.
A narrator is (usually) a person that gives an account of events in a story.
Think of the point of view as the 'eye' of the narrative. Are we looking through the eye of a character directly involved in the story, telling us about events as they happen? Or, is the eye far above the narrative, looking down on all characters with an all-seeing view of the action unfolding?
This is a key decision that all writers make when creating their narratives. They could make their narrator a character, an anonymous source, a man retelling an ancient fable, an angel in the sky, or anything in-between. The possibilities are endless, but the decision has a considerable impact on the end result.
Types of point of view
Let's explore the four different types of point of view.
First-person
When a story is narrated in the first person, a character is telling the story from their perspective. This is normally done through the first person pronouns 'I', 'me', 'my' and 'mine'.
'I went to the party.'
'Leave me alone.'
'That is my job.'
'The car is mine.'
First-person narration is intimate, as the reader is given private access to a character's inner thoughts. However, the narrator rarely has all the information because they are confined to a singular perspective. This can create an unreliable narrator, meaning the knowledge the reader has of events is limited by the character's understanding.
An unreliable narrator tells a story with questionable authenticity. The reader cannot be sure whether the narrator's version of events is entirely true. This could be because the narrator has a hidden motive, like wanting to recount events in a way that favours them.
Second-person
The second-person point of view is rare in fiction novels. It is commonly identified by the use of the 'you' and 'your' pronouns.
'You need to go to school.'
'Pack up your things and leave.'
Writing in the second person is difficult, and it can be jarring to the reader if done incorrectly. The goal of this style is often to challenge the reader or make them complicit in the narrative. Many works that use this point of view are non-fiction works, such as self-help books, but there are some examples of the second-person viewpoint being used in fiction, such as in Margaret Atwood's Bread (1983), and Iain Bank's Complicity (1993).
Third-person
If a third-person point of view is used, the narrator is telling the story about the characters from outside the narrative. The story normally refers to 'he', 'she', or 'they'.
'She went to the party.'
'He organised the reservation.'
'They were quite upset.'
Third-person narration is split into two further subdivisions: third-person limited, and third-person omniscient.
Third-person limited
Third-person limited is confined to the viewpoint of one person or group. The narrator can create a similar intimacy to a second-person point of view, offering us insights into the thoughts and feelings of a character, while not being forced to view the world solely through their eyes. This means that the narrator can include rich description, immersive detail and additional information that would have been impossible through the eyes of a singular character.
'He stared intently at her, trying to figure out how she was feeling. The bark of a dog echoed through the room around them.'
While the narration is focused on one person and their surroundings, additional detail about setting and mood can be provided more effectively through a third-person narrator.
Third-person omniscient
A third-person omniscient narrator knows everything that is going on at all times.
Omniscient means all-knowing
This narrator is aware of the thoughts, experiences, and feelings of every character in the novel, and can choose to reveal anything they like to the reader.
'She walked into the room, thinking the worst for him. He was fine, but he worried about how she was handling it all.'
This is the most freeing narrative style for an author, as it allows them to include the perspectives of any character, and as much detail as they like. This gives the reader more information, so they can piece the narrative together more easily.
Just because a narrator is omniscient does not mean that they are reliable! The narrator could play favourites with a certain character, and many authors limit the information given to a reader, forcing them to work out answers for themselves.
Fig. 1 - Take a look at this table of the point of view pronouns.Point of view in literature
The point of view is arguably the most important part of any story because every aspect of the narrative is affected by it. The narrative style chosen establishes the amount of distance that is created between the reader and the character and therefore impacts how accessible the story is for the reader. Do they have all of the information, or is their knowledge restricted?
If the author wanted to create a Bildungsroman (a coming-of-age story), wherein the main character overcomes personal mental and emotional struggles, which point of view might they choose to make sure that the character's story is accessible to the reader?
The point of view can also impact the way a reader perceives certain scenarios. The atmosphere that an author creates is often dependent on the narrative style they choose. If the writer chooses a first-person point of view, the text will feature a more philosophical, but less detailed description of the setting. This creates a unique mood when compared with other narrative styles.
Examples of point of view
Now we will explore some examples!
First-person example
An example of a first-person point of view can be seen in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985).
It occurs to me that she may be a spy, a plant, set to trap me; such is the soil in which we grow. But I can't believe it; hope is rising in me, like sap in a tree. Blood in a wound. We have made an opening.
Offred, The Handmaid's Tale, chapter 27
Offred disregards her safety to confide in her friend, despite the fact she may be a spy. As this is first-person narration, the reader, like Offred, is unaware if her friend is there to spy on her. We only see the world of the novel through the eyes of Offred, and we as the reader are forced to trust her limited, potentially unreliable account of events.
Second-person example
Examples of a second-person point of view can be found in the work of Dr. Seuss.
You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go.
-Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go (1990)
Although Dr. Seuss writes children's works, this is one of the key areas where second-person pronouns can have a profound impact. Young readers are impressionable, and may believe that the author is talking directly to them!
Adults struggle to sustain this disbelief over long texts, which is why it is difficult to produce effective novels with a second-person narrative mode.
Third-person limited example
We can see a third-person limited narrator in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 (1953).
He was not happy. He said the words to himself. He recognized this as the true state of affairs. He wore his happiness like a mask and the girl had run off across the lawn with the mask and there was no way of going to knock on her door and ask for it back.
- Guy Montag, Fahrenheit 451, chapter 1
Bradbury uses third-person limited to give us an intimate look into the mind of Guy Montag, and the changes that he undergoes as the narrative progresses. By sticking to the third-person Bradbury can also provide the additional detail and context that a dystopian novel like Fahrenheit 451 requires, to be understood by the reader.
Third-person omniscient example
A third-person omniscient narrator is featured in Pride and Prejudice (1813).
Mr. Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the room; he was lively and unreserved, danced every dance, was angry that the ball closed so early.
Mr. Darcy danced only once with Mrs. Hurst and once with Miss Bingley, declined being introduced to any other lady, and spent the rest of the evening in walking about the room,
- Narrator, Pride and Prejudice, chapter 3
Although Elizabeth Bennet is the novel's main character, the omniscient narrator allows other characters, like Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, to be described in detail from an external perspective.
Point of View - Key takeaways
- A point of view in literature is the perspective through which the author tells their story.
- The main point of view types are; first-person, second-person, third-person limited, and third-person omniscient.
- Changing the point of view can have a considerable impact. It can make a narrative more or less accessible for the reader, affecting the way they perceive the story.
- All narrators can be unreliable, but first-person narratives are especially prone to being untrustworthy, as the reader only sees the world through one character's limited perspective.
- The use of pronouns in a narrative is the easiest way to understand the point of view being chosen.
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