Overview of Point of View(cribbed from a variety of sources listed in the bibliography)

 

“Nothing’s beautiful from every point of view.” --Horace

The primary point of view decision you must make before you set down the first

sentence of a story is one of PERSON

The story can be told usingthe first person (I’m (we’re) hoping to

understand point of view.)the second person (You’re hoping to

understand point of view.)the third person (He/she/they are hoping

to understand point of view.)

AN OVERVIEW OF THE FIRST PERSON

The term “narrator” is sometimes used to refer to any teller of a tale, but strictly speaking a story has a narrator only when it is told in the first person by one of the characters.

This person may be the protagonist, the I telling my story, in which case that character is a central narrator; or the character may be telling a story about someone else, in which case he or she is a peripheral narrator.

“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner

“When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly out of curiosity to see the inside of her house, which no one save an old man-servant—a combined gardener and cook—had seen in at least ten years.

It was a big, squarish frame house that had once been white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies, set on what had once been our most select street. “

An inevitable shortcoming--

Whether central or

peripheral, singular or plural, a first-person narrator is a character, so it’s vital to remember that she or he has all the limitations of a human being and cannot be omniscient.

Potential Advantages of the First Person

Generally speaking, first-person stories establish a sense of intimacy between reader and narrator—

Just as they also establish immediacy—

And voice while providing ready—

Potential for character development--

Common Psychological Defenses that Create Unreliability

Repression: forgetting and forgetting that one has forgotten; such as incest victims repressing their memories but not realizing they’ve forgotten anything

Denial and Reversal: a refusal to accept things as they are and transforming the denied fact into its opposite; thus, “I hate you” becomes “I love you.”

Projection: acting as if one’s own feelings or behavior are someone else’s feelings/behavior; thus the unfaithful spouse accuses the faithful partner of infidelity.

Isolation: experiencing events without feelings; the unpleasant event is recalled but the associated feelings are not.

Rationalization: denial of one’s true motives by covering over unpleasant impulses with a cloak of reasonableness; telling children you’re punishing them “for their own good,” for example

Potential Disadvantages of First Person

Differentiating between the authorial “I” and the fictional one can be tough for writers and tempting for readers who want to conflate author and character.

The narrator’s physical description is difficult to convey,

And because writer and reader are stuck in the narrator’s skin, claustrophobia can set in.

Additionally, writer and reader are limited by the intelligence and vocabulary of the first-person narrator, as in a naïve narrator.

“Showing” rather than “telling” can be a challenge since the tendency is to write something that approaches interior monologue.

AN OVERVIEW OF SECOND PERSON

First and third persons are most common in literature; second person remains an idiosyncratic and experimental form; however, it’s worth mentioning because several contemporary writers have been drawn to its possibilities—Lorrie Moore and Jay McInerney leap to mind.

Potential Advantages of Second Person

Assuming the reader accepts the new identity, the second person pulls you deeply into the story, creating actual identification.

Some writers choose second person to depict trauma, as its slight sense of detachment mutes melodrama and mirrors a sense of shock.

It can also make a highly individual experience feel more universal.

Another reason to use second person is as a disguised first person—in these cases it seems clear that the narrator is really speaking of him/herself.

Potential Disadvantages of Second Person

It will strike some readers as gimmicky. The detachment it creates can be a minus as

well as a plus.Like the first person, the second person is an

interior point of view and conveying the complexities of scene can be difficult.

The second person is closely associated with those who made it acceptable, and the challenge for writers is to differentiate themselves from the likes of Moore and McInerney.

OmniscientLimited Omniscient

Objective

AN OVERVIEW OF THIRD PERSON

Potential Advantages of the Omniscient

The omniscient can objectively report what is happening

Or go into the mind of any characterAs well as interpret for us that character’s

appearance, speech, actions, and thoughtsMove freely in time to give us a panoramic,

telescopic, microscopic, or historical view; tell us what has happened elsewhere or in the past or what will happen in the future

As well as provide general reflections, judgments, and truths

Many writers find it is difficult to control—too much freedom can be very confusing

Many readers are inclined to prefer fiction that doesn’t offer an editorial perspective

The greater flexibility does result is a broader focus. The reader’s (and writer’s) attention is spread more thinly

Usually calls attention to the presence of the author

Potential Disadvantages of Omniscient

LIMITED OMNISCIENT

Probably the most prevalent point of view in contemporary fiction, the limited omniscient generally refers to a viewpoint in which the author can see events objectively and also grants himself or herself access to the mind of one character, but not to the minds of the others, nor to any explicit powers of judgment. This point of view is particularly useful for the short story because it very quickly establishes the point-of-view character or means of perception.

Potential Advantages of the Limited Omniscient

The reader consistently experiences everything through the character’s own mind and emotions with considerable intimacy and immediacy.

Therefore, the reader is more likely to empathize with the character.

The author is more likely to include only what is relevant because the perceptions and experiences are so focused.

Potential Disadvantages of the Limited Omniscient

Just as readers sometimes mistakenly attribute to the author the attitudes of his first-person narrator, readers often forget that in limited omniscient stories, every perception is to be attributed to the point-of-view character.

The point-of-view character must be present for all the events in the story.

It may sometimes be difficult to grant the reader access to and understanding of the opaque character (the antagonist, say, or another secondary character interacting with the protagonist).

Objective Here we have the ultimate point of view challenge, a real test of the writer’s ability to convey information in scenes. The narrator in the third-person objective point of view is denied access to even a single character’s mind. The writer must reveal everything about the story (background, characterization, conflict, theme, etc.) through dialogue and action. The effect is a little like reading a play. The objective point of view is also called “fly on the wall.”

Objective

Potential Advantages: It offers a sense of integrity and impartiality.And it prevents a writer from over explaining

since explaining anything is off limits.

Potential Disadvantages:One of fiction’s major attractions is the

opportunity it offers to access the thoughts of others.

 

Sources Consulted

Burroway, Janet. Writing Fiction: A Guide to the Narrative Craft. Sixth Edition. New York: Longman, 2003.

 Johnston, Sibyl. Where the Stories Come From: Beginning to Write Fiction.

New York: Longman, 2002. Madden, David. Revising Fiction: A Handbook for Writers. New York: New

American Library, 1988.

 Steele, Alexander, Ed. Gotham Writers’ Workshop Writing Fiction. New York: Bloomsbury, 2003. Stone, Sarah & Ron Nyren, Eds. Deepening Fiction: A Practical Guide for

Intermediate And Advanced Writers. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005.

 Szeman, Sherri. Mastering Point of View. Cincinnati: Story Press, 2001.

(The presentation is a little muddled, especially where 2nd person is concerned.)