Narrative Viewpoint

Understanding Narrative Viewpoint

• The term Narrative Viewpoint refers to the perspective from which a story is told.
• It’s also known as Point of View and is a primary factor in how readers engage with a story.

Different Types of Narrative Viewpoints

• First Person: The story is told from the perspective of a character in the story, usually using ‘I’ or ‘we’.
• Second Person: The reader is addressed directly using ‘you’. This is less common but, when used, can create a very personal and immersive experience.
• Third Person Limited: Narration is from the perspective of one character, with only their thoughts and emotions accessible. This uses ‘he’, ‘she’, or ‘it’ to refer to characters.
• Third Person Omniscient: A narration style where the narrator knows everything about all the characters and events. The narrator is all-knowing or ‘omniscient’.
• Third Person Objective: The story is told without accessing any character’s thoughts, feelings, or motivations. It presents information as observed externally, like a movie camera.

Analysing Narrative Viewpoint

• Analyse how viewpoint affects your understanding and engagement with the story.
• Reflect on how the chosen viewpoint creates empathy, suspense, or other narrative effects.
• Explore how viewpoint might align or conflict with the values and understanding of the reader.

Shifting Viewpoint

• Authors may shift viewpoint within a story to present different perspectives.
• Look for such shifts and analyse their impact on the story and your reading experience.
• Consider how shifting viewpoints enhance character development or plot progression.

Influence of Narrative Viewpoint

• Narrative viewpoint shapes the reader’s perception of events and characters.
• It influences the level of information the reader has access to and the relationships formed with characters.
• Understanding the role of narrative viewpoint helps in understanding the unfolding of plot, subtext and character motivations.

Examples of Narrative Viewpoint

• A first person narrative might be used in a crime novel to give direct insight into the detective’s thought process.
• A second person narrative might be used in an instructional text or choose-your-own-adventure book to engage the reader in the decision making process.
• Third person narratives are common in classic literature, where distance might be used to speak on grand themes or ideas.

In depth understanding of narrative viewpoint and its nuances can drastically improve your interpretation of text, and therefore your analytic commentary on it.