Give feedback
Give feedback
English
Exam board
OCR
Shakespeare
19th century prose
Modern texts
Poetry
Analysing fiction
Analysing non fiction
Reading
Writing process
Writing skills
Grammar and punctuation
English
Summary
An audience is informed about events in a story by the narrative perspective. To understand the perspectives of who tells the story and who sees it, the narrative point of view is critical. In this summary, you will learn about the different types of narrative perspectives and how to use them.
Authors use point of view as narration to convey the characters' perspectives and an understanding of events. The plot and theme of your work depend on how the story is told by the narrator. The point of view determines how the narrative is written and who is speaking. Narrative perspective determines the way this point of view is delivered to the reader.
Type of perspective | Explanation | Pronouns used |
First person | First person narrators provide readers with a deeper insight into the characters' minds. In the first-person point of view, it is impossible to relate events or gain insight into the minds of other characters, so it is purely subjective. | I, We, Us, Me, Ours |
Multiple person | A multi-point-of-view story shows the events of a story through the eyes of more than one character. Readers can discern who is telling the story by the different perspectives and voices of the multiple characters. | He, She, They |
Second person | Compared to first person or third person narratives, second person narratives assume that the audience shares the speaker's experience with the narrated events. | You, Your |
Third person limited | The third person limited point of view is where the narrative is told from the external perspective of one character. As the reader is not limited to the first person narrator's perspective, they have a more objective view of the plot and characters. | He, Him, She, Her, They |
Third person omniscient | The omniscient narrative provides an all-knowing third person view of the narrative. Readers can learn plot details, inner thoughts or hidden events from the omniscient narrator, who can see things that are not visible to the characters. | He, Him, She, Her, They |
As the narrator recounts the story's events, they use the narrative voice. A point of view determines how events will be viewed. Narrative voice is distinguished from point of view by how it relates to the speaker.
Usually, a stream of consciousness is in the first-person and attempts to represent the character's thoughts and emotions. The stream of consciousness uses inner monologues and a character's reflection on his or her motivations or ideologies to create a clear character psyche.
FAQs
Question: How are narrative perspectives and points of view different?
Answer: Authors use point of view as narration to convey the characters' perspectives and an understanding of events. The plot and theme of your work depend on how the story is told by the narrator.
Question: Is narrative perspective important?
Answer: To understand the perspectives of who tells the story and who sees it, the narrative point of view is critical.
Question: What does a narrative perspective do?
Answer: An audience is informed about events in a story by the narrative perspective.
Theory
Exercises
Your data protection
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. By clicking on either "Accept cookies" or "Necessary cookies only", you agree to this (read more in our Privacy Policy). Privacy Policy
