![]() ![]() But when done well, second person point of view can accomplish a range of wonderful effects. In the wrong hands, it just feels gimmicky. It’s used in experimental literature to try out new styles of writing. Second person point of view, which uses the pronoun you, is one of the least used POVs in literature because it places the reader in the hot seat and is hard to manage for a full-length novel. Jem and I found our father satisfactory: he played with us, read to us, and treated us with courteous detachment.” Second Person Point of View “We lived on the main residential street in town-Atticus, Jem and I, plus Calpurnia our cook. She speaks with a childlike innocence, giving the reader that same feeling, even if we understand the racism of her town better than she does herself. It didn’t taste like anything, but it went straight down into my stomach like a sword swallowers’ sword and made me feel powerful and godlike.”Ĭompare that with the intimacy you get when reading Scout’s view of things in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. “I began to think vodka was my drink at last. The narrator is a flawed character, but we see the world entirely through her eyes, complete with her own faults and sorrows. One great example of first person POV is The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. The limitations of first person point of view, however, restrict you to only describing what this character sees, thinks, and feels, and sometimes that narrator can be unreliable. It’s also the easiest way to tell a story that uses a distinct, quirky voice. ![]() The author uses the first person pronouns I and me to show readers what this character sees and thinks.įirst person is the best way to show the story from one person’s point of view because you have an individual person telling you her story directly in her own words. With first person point of view, everything is told intimately from the viewpoint of a character, usually your protagonist. Read on to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each of these points of view. Fourth person (“ We pet the cat because we think it looks cute.”).Little does she know, this cat is actually an alien in disguise.”) Third person limited (“ She pets the cat because she thinks it looks cute.”) and third person omniscient (“ She pets the cat because she thinks it looks cute.Second person (“ You pet the cat because you think it looks cute.”).First person (“ I pet the cat because I think it looks cute.”).There are four main points of view that we’ll be discussing in this article: first person, second person, third person (with two subtypes: limited and omniscient), and fourth person. Imagine that masterpiece with a different point of view-it wouldn’t have the same objective, reliable feeling that it has now. He decided it would be much more powerful coming from Nick’s more naïve point of view. Scott Fitzgerald had to rewrite The Great Gatsby because he initially wrote it in Gatsby’s voice. POV is a matter of choice, but one that affects every part of your story or novel.į. The right POV can also completely change the way the story feels. On the other hand, you also have to show the world with that character’s biases and flawed observations. In order to choose the right POV, you have to know what you want your story to accomplish.įor example, if you choose first person POV, you’ll be able to immerse the reader in a single character’s voice, humor, and worldview. It can have an enormous impact on the tone, style, and even plot of the story.Įach point of view has its own strengths and limitations. Point of view is one of the most important aspects of your story that you must decide before putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). You might even tell it from the perspective of an all-seeing entity, who can see into the minds of both the stranger and the townspeople, all at the same time.Įach of these options centers a different point of view-a different angle for the reader to approach the same story. You might tell it from the collective perspective of the townspeople, who are curious about who this stranger is and why he’s come to this part of the world. ![]() You might tell it from the perspective of the stranger who has never seen this town before and views all of its buildings and streets through fresh eyes. What are all the different perspectives you could tell this story from? ![]() Imagine you’re telling a story about a well-traveled stranger who enters a small, rural town. To understand point of view, try this quick exercise. Point of view refers to the perspective through which a story is told. What Is Point of View in Writing and Literature?
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