4.1 Point of View

Who tells the story

Point of view is the vantage from which a story is told. First person ('I') is a character inside the story; third person ('he/she/they') stands outside it. Rare second person ('you') addresses the reader as a participant.

Third-person varieties

Third person can be omniscient (knows all characters' thoughts), limited (follows one character's mind), or objective (reports only outward action, no interior access). Each controls how much the reader knows.

POV shapes meaning

Point of view determines what we can and can't see. A limited narrator can hide crucial information; an omniscient one can ironize characters by revealing what they don't know about each other.

Key terms

Point of view

The vantage point from which a story is told.

First person

A narrator within the story who uses 'I.'

Third-person omniscient

A narrator who knows all characters' thoughts.

Third-person limited

A narrator following one character's inner world.

Third-person objective

A narrator reporting only outward action.

Try an AP-style question

Third-person limited narration…

1. uses "I" throughout
2. addresses the reader as "you"
3. follows one character's thoughts
4. knows every character's thoughts