NARRATION

What is a narrator?

• A narrator is (in any story—literary work, movie, play, verbal account, etc.) the person who tells the story to the audience.

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What are the different types of narrators?

• First person narrator

• 3rd person limited narrator

• 3rd person omniscient narrator

• Unreliable narrator

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First Person Narration

First person narrative occurs when the story is told by one character at a time, speaking for & about themselves—using words such as “I” & “my”.

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First Person Narration

“I'd never given much thought to how I would die -- though I'd had reason enough in the last few months -- but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this. I stared without breathing across the long room, into the dark eyes of the hunter, and he

looked pleasantly back at me. Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I loved. Noble, even. That ought to count for something. I knew that if I'd never gone to

Forks, I wouldn't be facing death now. But, terrified as I was, I couldn't bring myself to regret the decision.”

~Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

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3rd Person Narration (Limited)

3rd person narration (limited) occurs when the narrator knows the view points of only one character.

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3rd Person Narration (Limited)

“The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too. Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day. "Up! Get up! Now!“ Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again. "Up!" she screeched. Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.”

~Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

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3rd Person Omniscient Narration

3rd Person Omniscient Narration- both the reader and author observe the situation either

through the senses and thoughts of more than one character, or through an overarching godlike

perspective that sees and knows everything that happens and everything the characters are

thinking

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3rd Person Omniscient Narration

“Still, Alyss wondered, what was the big deal? Having to stand here until her feet hurt — it was punishment…

There were reasons, as the queen well knew. Intelligence had indicated that they may have already waited too long. Unconfirmed reports suggested

Redd was growing more powerful, outfitting her troops for an attack, and Genevieve was no longer sure that her military could provide adequate defense. She was as keen as Alyss for King Nolan's return, but she had

determined to enjoy the day's festivities.” ~The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

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Unreliable Narrator

Unreliable narrator is a narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised. It is usually used to

deceive the reader. (kids & the mentally ill can be considered unreliable)

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“The reason I was standing way up on Thomsen Hill, instead of down at the game, was because I'd just got back from New York with the fencing team. I was the goddam manager of the fencing team. Very big deal. We'd gone in to New York that morning for

this fencing meet with McBurney School. Only, we didn't have the meet. I left all the foils and equipment and stuff on the goddam subway. It wasn't all my fault. I had to keep getting up to look at

this map, so we'd know where to get off. So we got back to Pencey around two-thirty instead of around dinnertime. The whole team

ostracized me the whole way back on the train. It was pretty funny, in a way.”

~The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Unreliable Narrator

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Worksheet Examples • “She watched as they played in the sand. They looked so happy

and carefree. As she watched she couldn’t’ believe that just two days ago they had been missing children. Children she thought she’d never get back.” __________________________

• “I gripped the sides of the examination table as he walked into the room. Without knowing how, I knew what was coming. I knew I had cancer. The five seconds it took for him to sit down, place a hand on my knee, and look into my eyes felt like a lifetime. I wanted to smack his hand away, to yell at him to get it out already. The pitying look in his eyes was more than I could bear.” ________________________________

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Worksheet Examples • “As he sent the text message he knew that miles away she’d be

reading it all alone. Yet, there was nothing he could do. He needed help, he needed to be anywhere but here. She was his only option. When her phone beeped it took a few moments before she acknowledged the alert. “Just a few more pages,” she thought as she struggled to cram any last minute information into her already jam-packed brain. When she did check it, she wished she had read just a few more pages.” __________________________

• “I crept around the side of the building, holding close to the wall. I have to get out of here. I have to find the exit. No more white rooms, no more. They’re all trying to kill me. They want to put a tracking device in my brain so they can monitor me, then they’ll kill me. They want my face to fall off, and my skin to rot. They’re aliens, all of them are aliens—and I have to kill them.” ________________________________

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Guidelines:

• Must be 4-5 sentences long.

• Choose what narrative style you’d like to use before you begin.

• Work as a team!

• Describe what is occurring in our classroom right now.

• Be respectful!

Create Your Own Narration