the story is told is called its point of view.
B. In the Omniscient Point of View, the story is told by the author, not one of the
characters, acting as an outside observer and using the 3rd person (e.g. he/she/it).
1) The author’s knowledge of the characters’ actions and thoughts is unlimited.
- can look inside the minds and hearts of characters
- can interpret behaviour
- can comment on the significance of the story
2) This is the most flexible point of view, but may allow the author to become too
noticeable.
C. In the Limited Omniscient Point of View, the author tells the story in the 3rd person,
but restricts the viewpoint to that of one character.
1) The author may see the story through the eyes of the character or as though at
his/her elbow.
- other characters are interpreted by this character
- may move inside and outside of this character
- knows everything about this character, even things the character is unaware of,
but has no knowledge of the thoughts of other characters except what can be
inferred by an observer
- may be a participant or an observer
2) This point of view is usually seen through the eyes of a main character.
3) It is closer to real life because it limits what the reader can know of all the
important events.
D. In the First Person Point of View, the narrator is one of the characters, usually a main
character, and tells the story in the first person (i.e. I) and can only reveal the thoughts,
feelings, and observations he or she is aware of.
1) allows a feeling of immediacy and reality because the story is told directly by one of
its characters, but offers no chance for the author to interpret directly.
2) cannot get into the minds of other characters.
3) offers more opportunities for irony and for studies of limited human perception.
4) indirect interpretation can be made by choosing a perceptive narrator.
In the First Person Observer Point of View, the story is told by someone who is an
observer of the action rather than a main character.
1) This point of view creates distance from the characters because the narrator cannot
see into the main characters’ minds.
2) The narrator is free to comment on the action and does not have to be objective.
E. In the Objective Point of View, the author refuses to enter the minds of any of the
characters and acts like a roving video camera. The author uses the 3rd person.
1) The camera goes anywhere, but can only record not comment, interpret, or enter a
character’s mind.
- the reader is a spectator and must guess about the feelings and thoughts of others
from what the characters say and do, how they look, and what other characters
say about them.
2) The objective point of view is sometimes called the Dramatic Point of View
because the characters are seen as they would appear in a play.
3) The purest form of Objective Point of View is dialogue.
4) It has the most speed and action of all the points of view.
- relies on external action and dialogue.
Personal Pronouns Subject Object Possessive Pronominal
Singular/Plural S/P S/P S/P
1st person I/We Me/Us My/Our Mine/Ours
2nd person You/You You/You Your/Your Yours/Yours
3rd person She/He/It/They Her/Him Hers/His Hers/His
It/Them Its/Their Its/Theirs
N.B. Point of view is important for two main reasons:
1) A particular point of view can emphasize one character’s perception of things.
- It can also influence our perception of things.
- The omniscient narrator can tell what a character thinks, but the limited
omniscient and first person points of view make the reader experience what the
character thinks.
2) Point of view is important when the narrator’s trustworthiness is suspect.
Questions about point of view
1) Who tells the story?
- Can the narrator be trusted to tell the truth about the events, characters, and the
setting of the story?
- Omniscient narrators can almost always be trusted, but limited omniscient and first-
person narrators can be suspect.
- Do circumstances such as their age, education, social status, prejudices, or
emotional states affect their perspectives?
- Is the author’s view different from the narrator’s.
