Incanus
Auror
I think Point of View is an interesting subject. Thus I have selected, organized, and paraphrased some of the basics pertaining to it, mostly compiled from various sources, books, and articles. However, the examples I used are from my own observations and analyses.
POV is a complex issue and entire books could be written about it, so this write-up is hardly to be considered comprehensive. This is essentially a first draft, so comments, critiques, questions, elaborations, and refinements are more than welcome.
POV Basics
Point of View is one of the most important elements in fiction, and often the least appreciated. It is the filter through which all the other aspects of story are determined, informing and influencing choices at every level, from theme or scene, to sentences and even individual words. Having a solid understanding of POV, and its options and variations, is crucial to producing fiction that ‘works’. Neglecting it, on the other hand, invites missed opportunities for exploring a story’s potential, or worse.
First-Person Point of View
One way to look at First-Person POV is to think of it as a character monologue, as if the entire story were in quotations. This way, every word in the story is used in the way the character would use it, not the writer. The details included in the story should only be details that this specific character would notice, or choose to comment on. Conversely, what is left out can also further characterize the First-Person narrator, albeit in a more subtle way. The great strength of this POV is its intimacy, while its weakness lies in its limitation due to the narrow scope inherent in having only a single viewpoint character.
A difficulty with this POV is providing a physical description of the narrator that does not draw too much attention to itself, and without resorting to the character looking at their reflection in mirrors or ponds. However, there are a few techniques to use to sneak in some of these details, but they can be mishandled all too easily. 1) Use a comparison or association that isn’t out of place in the narrative–“The huge warrior beside me made me conscious of my small frame”. 2) Have another, observant character mention some of this info (taking care not to end up presenting an unnaturally obvious ‘laundry list’ of traits). 3) Using the plot itself–“Scanning the tavern’s occupants, I noticed that I was the only dark-haired Gondor-woman in the place”. (Poor examples, I know, but it gets the point across.)
First-Person POV has another consideration that is unique to it: the amount of time that has elapsed between the events of the story, and the writing of those events by the fictional character. I’ll use some examples to illustrate this idea. The Sherlock Holmes tales, and The Catcher in the Rye, are accounts written right after, or soon after, the events being depicted. Holden Caulfield’s ‘teenaged’ observations and parlance make this obvious. While on the other hand, stories like Stephen King’s Stand By Me, or Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose (at least the movie versions of these), each have narrators that are decades older than their younger selves. The differences due to this gap in time can be subtle, yet significant to the narrative choices.
And of course, decisions about the Main Character and Protagonist overlap with POV. For instance, in Sherlock Holmes stories, Watson is the Narrator, but Holmes is the Main Character and Protagonist, whereas in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is all three. To Kill a Mockingbird uses a slightly different arrangement: Scout is the Main Character and Narrator, while Atticus is the Protagonist.
Third-Person Point of View
There are two main kinds of third-person POV, often referred to as omniscient and limited. In a general sense, omniscient POV offers the greatest range of possibilities to the writer, but tends to lack intimacy with viewpoint characters, as opposed to the first-person POV as described above. Third-person limited, however, tends to bridge this gap.
Omniscient POV comes in three major varieties:
God’s-eye-view–this is usually what is thought of when discussing omniscient POV. It is virtually without bounds, moving backward or forward in time, showing any event at any place, and leaping from one character’s thoughts to another’s as often as may be needed.
Camera-eye-view–this POV shows only that which can be seen from the outside looking in. It does not get into characters thoughts, nor does it interpret events, instead only reporting them. (I’m not sure I’ve ever read a story that uses this POV strictly; I can’t see it being used in anything other than flash fiction, or a short story.)
Focused omniscience–in this POV, the ‘go-anywhere’ camera-eye-view is used in conjunction with the ability to enter the thoughts of a single character’s head.
Third-person Limited POV: The most commonly used viewpoint. Often employed as a ‘multiple-limited’ POV in which more than one character can be followed, though only one at a time, and with clear delineations between them. Either way, an important aspect to this POV is that varying degrees of character depth can be achieved. This is done by how closely the words used for internal character thoughts resemble those which the character themselves would use. A more formal, descriptive tone keeps the character more remote, while a tone that mimics the character’s own voice feels more intimate.
POV is a complex issue and entire books could be written about it, so this write-up is hardly to be considered comprehensive. This is essentially a first draft, so comments, critiques, questions, elaborations, and refinements are more than welcome.
POV Basics
Point of View is one of the most important elements in fiction, and often the least appreciated. It is the filter through which all the other aspects of story are determined, informing and influencing choices at every level, from theme or scene, to sentences and even individual words. Having a solid understanding of POV, and its options and variations, is crucial to producing fiction that ‘works’. Neglecting it, on the other hand, invites missed opportunities for exploring a story’s potential, or worse.
First-Person Point of View
One way to look at First-Person POV is to think of it as a character monologue, as if the entire story were in quotations. This way, every word in the story is used in the way the character would use it, not the writer. The details included in the story should only be details that this specific character would notice, or choose to comment on. Conversely, what is left out can also further characterize the First-Person narrator, albeit in a more subtle way. The great strength of this POV is its intimacy, while its weakness lies in its limitation due to the narrow scope inherent in having only a single viewpoint character.
A difficulty with this POV is providing a physical description of the narrator that does not draw too much attention to itself, and without resorting to the character looking at their reflection in mirrors or ponds. However, there are a few techniques to use to sneak in some of these details, but they can be mishandled all too easily. 1) Use a comparison or association that isn’t out of place in the narrative–“The huge warrior beside me made me conscious of my small frame”. 2) Have another, observant character mention some of this info (taking care not to end up presenting an unnaturally obvious ‘laundry list’ of traits). 3) Using the plot itself–“Scanning the tavern’s occupants, I noticed that I was the only dark-haired Gondor-woman in the place”. (Poor examples, I know, but it gets the point across.)
First-Person POV has another consideration that is unique to it: the amount of time that has elapsed between the events of the story, and the writing of those events by the fictional character. I’ll use some examples to illustrate this idea. The Sherlock Holmes tales, and The Catcher in the Rye, are accounts written right after, or soon after, the events being depicted. Holden Caulfield’s ‘teenaged’ observations and parlance make this obvious. While on the other hand, stories like Stephen King’s Stand By Me, or Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose (at least the movie versions of these), each have narrators that are decades older than their younger selves. The differences due to this gap in time can be subtle, yet significant to the narrative choices.
And of course, decisions about the Main Character and Protagonist overlap with POV. For instance, in Sherlock Holmes stories, Watson is the Narrator, but Holmes is the Main Character and Protagonist, whereas in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield is all three. To Kill a Mockingbird uses a slightly different arrangement: Scout is the Main Character and Narrator, while Atticus is the Protagonist.
Third-Person Point of View
There are two main kinds of third-person POV, often referred to as omniscient and limited. In a general sense, omniscient POV offers the greatest range of possibilities to the writer, but tends to lack intimacy with viewpoint characters, as opposed to the first-person POV as described above. Third-person limited, however, tends to bridge this gap.
Omniscient POV comes in three major varieties:
God’s-eye-view–this is usually what is thought of when discussing omniscient POV. It is virtually without bounds, moving backward or forward in time, showing any event at any place, and leaping from one character’s thoughts to another’s as often as may be needed.
Camera-eye-view–this POV shows only that which can be seen from the outside looking in. It does not get into characters thoughts, nor does it interpret events, instead only reporting them. (I’m not sure I’ve ever read a story that uses this POV strictly; I can’t see it being used in anything other than flash fiction, or a short story.)
Focused omniscience–in this POV, the ‘go-anywhere’ camera-eye-view is used in conjunction with the ability to enter the thoughts of a single character’s head.
Third-person Limited POV: The most commonly used viewpoint. Often employed as a ‘multiple-limited’ POV in which more than one character can be followed, though only one at a time, and with clear delineations between them. Either way, an important aspect to this POV is that varying degrees of character depth can be achieved. This is done by how closely the words used for internal character thoughts resemble those which the character themselves would use. A more formal, descriptive tone keeps the character more remote, while a tone that mimics the character’s own voice feels more intimate.