English Lit 101: Literary Elements - Point of View First Person I We Second Person You Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient Third Person Objective Unreliable Narrator Frame Narrative

What It Is

Point of view (POV) refers to the perspective from which a story is told. It determines what information the reader receives and how they experience the narrative. In literature, POV is a crucial element that influences the reader's understanding and emotional connection to the story. For example, in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the narrator's third-person limited POV allows the reader to experience the world through Nick Carraway's eyes, creating a sense of intimacy and immediacy. Understanding POV is essential for literary analysis as it reveals the author's intentions, the narrator's reliability, and the reader's engagement with the story.

Key Terms & Concepts

• First Person (I, We): The narrator is a character within the story, using "I" or "we" to refer to themselves. Example: "I woke up to the sound of my alarm clock."
• Second Person (You): The narrator addresses the reader directly, using "you." Example: "You are standing at the edge of the cliff, feeling the wind in your hair."
• Third Person Limited: The narrator is outside the story but has access to the thoughts and feelings of a single character. Example: "Nick Carraway thought he was a good listener, but he couldn't help but notice Gatsby's nervousness."
• Third Person Omniscient: The narrator has access to the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters, often with a god-like perspective. Example: "As the sun set over the city, Gatsby's thoughts turned to Daisy, while Nick's thoughts turned to his own moral dilemma."
• Third Person Objective: The narrator reports on the actions and dialogue of characters without access to their thoughts or feelings. Example: "Gatsby stood at the bar, sipping his drink, while Nick sat at a table, watching him."
• Unreliable Narrator: A narrator who distorts or withholds information, often to manipulate the reader's perception of the story. Example: Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye.
• Frame Narrative: A narrative within a narrative, where a story is told within another story. Example: The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.
• Narrative Voice: The tone, language, and perspective of the narrator. Example: The sarcastic voice of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
• Authorial Intention: The author's purpose or message in the story. Example: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
• Reader Engagement: The reader's emotional connection to the story. Example: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• Narrative Distance: The proximity of the narrator to the story. Example: The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner.
• Free Indirect Discourse: A narrative technique where the narrator's voice blends with the character's thoughts. Example: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert.
• Stream-of-Consciousness: A narrative technique where the narrator's thoughts are presented in a fluid, unstructured manner. Example: Ulysses by James Joyce.
• Narrative Point of View Shift: A change in the narrator's perspective or point of view. Example: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

Common Misunderstandings

• Misunderstanding: Third Person Limited is the same as Third Person Omniscient.
• Correction: Third Person Limited has access to the thoughts and feelings of a single character, while Third Person Omniscient has access to multiple characters' thoughts and feelings. Example: In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway's thoughts and feelings are revealed, but not those of other characters.
• Misunderstanding: First Person is always unreliable.
• Correction: While First Person narrators can be unreliable, they can also be trustworthy. Example: In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield's narrative is often unreliable, but in The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank's narrative is generally trustworthy.
• Misunderstanding: Frame Narrative is the same as Unreliable Narrator.
• Correction: Frame Narrative is a narrative structure, while Unreliable Narrator is a characteristic of a narrator. Example: The Canterbury Tales is a frame narrative, but the narrator is not necessarily unreliable.

Quick Application / Identification

1. Identify the point of view in the following excerpt: "As I walked through the forest, I stumbled upon a hidden clearing." Answer: First Person (I) Reason: The narrator uses the pronoun "I" to refer to themselves.
2. Identify the narrative technique used in the following excerpt: "He thought he was a good listener, but he couldn't help but notice Gatsby's nervousness." Answer: Third Person Limited Reason: The narrator has access to the thoughts and feelings of a single character, Nick Carraway.
3. Identify the narrative voice in the following excerpt: "Oh, the humanity! The injustice! The cruelty!" Answer: Sarcastic Reason: The narrator's tone is sarcastic and ironic.

Last?Minute Revision

• The Great Gatsby is a classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• The Catcher in the Rye is a coming-of-age novel by J.D. Salinger.
• To Kill a Mockingbird is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee.
• The Sound and the Fury is a modernist novel by William Faulkner.
• Madame Bovary is a realist novel by Gustave Flaubert.
• Ulysses is a modernist novel by James Joyce.
• The Turn of the Screw is a gothic novella by Henry James.
• The Canterbury Tales is a frame narrative by Geoffrey Chaucer.
• Free Indirect Discourse is a narrative technique used by Gustave Flaubert.
• Stream-of-Consciousness is a narrative technique used by James Joyce.
• Narrative Point of View Shift is a technique used by Henry James.
• Third Person Limited is a point of view used by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• Third Person Omniscient is a point of view used by William Faulkner.
• Unreliable Narrator is a characteristic of Holden Caulfield in The Catcher in the Rye.
• Frame Narrative is a narrative structure used by Geoffrey Chaucer.
• Narrative Voice is the tone, language, and perspective of the narrator.
• Authorial Intention is the author's purpose or message in the story.
• Reader Engagement is the reader's emotional connection to the story.
• Narrative Distance is the proximity of the narrator to the story.