📖Writing the Narrative Short Unit 4 – Point of View and Perspective

What's the Point (of View)?

• Point of view (POV) refers to the narrator's position in relation to the story being told
• Determines the level of information and insight the reader has access to throughout the narrative
• Shapes the reader's understanding of characters, events, and themes
• Influences the emotional connection and level of trust between the reader and the narrator
• Can be used to create mystery, suspense, or dramatic irony by controlling what information is revealed and withheld
• Plays a crucial role in establishing the tone and atmosphere of a story
• Different POV choices can drastically alter the reading experience and interpretation of the same plot

First, Second, Third: Choosing Your Narrator

• First-person POV uses "I" or "we" to narrate from a character's perspective, offering a direct and personal account
  • Allows for deep insight into the narrator's thoughts, feelings, and motivations
  • Can create a strong sense of intimacy and connection with the reader
  • Limited to the knowledge and experiences of the narrating character
• Second-person POV addresses the reader directly using "you," placing them in the role of a character
  • Less common in fiction but can be used for a more immersive and interactive reading experience
  • Often employed in choose-your-own-adventure stories or experimental fiction
• Third-person POV refers to characters as "he," "she," or "they," providing a more objective and distant perspective
  • Third-person limited focuses on one character's experiences and thoughts at a time
  • Third-person omniscient allows the narrator to access the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters
  • Third-person objective presents only observable actions and dialogue without revealing characters' inner lives

Inside Their Head: Mastering Internal Perspective

• Internal perspective delves into a character's inner world, revealing their thoughts, emotions, and perceptions
• Stream of consciousness technique captures the free-flowing, unfiltered nature of a character's thoughts
  • Can be challenging to follow but offers a raw and authentic representation of the character's mind
• Interior monologue presents a character's thoughts in a more structured and coherent manner
  • Allows for self-reflection, decision-making processes, and internal conflicts to be explored
• Flashbacks and memories can provide insight into a character's past experiences and motivations
  • Should be used purposefully to enhance the story and not disrupt the narrative flow
• Unreliable narration can occur when the character's perceptions or interpretations are biased or misleading
  • Creates tension between the character's understanding and the reader's interpretation of events

From the Outside: Crafting External Perspective

• External perspective focuses on observable actions, dialogue, and sensory details without direct access to characters' thoughts
• Dialogue becomes a crucial tool for revealing character dynamics, conflicts, and motivations
  • Subtext and implied meanings can add depth and nuance to character interactions
• Body language and nonverbal cues can convey characters' emotions and attitudes
  • Descriptions of facial expressions, gestures, and physical reactions can provide insight into their inner states
• Setting and environment descriptions can reflect characters' moods or serve as symbolic representations of their psychological states
• Limited access to characters' thoughts can create suspense, ambiguity, or misunderstandings
  • Encourages readers to actively interpret and draw their own conclusions based on observable evidence

Shifting Gears: Multiple POVs and Perspective Changes

• Multiple POVs involve using different narrators or perspectives within a single story
  • Can provide a more comprehensive understanding of events, characters, and conflicts
  • Requires careful management to ensure each POV is distinct and purposeful
• Alternating POVs switch between different characters' perspectives, often with each chapter or section dedicated to a specific character
  • Allows for contrasting viewpoints and experiences to be explored
  • Can create cliffhangers or parallel storylines that converge over time
• Mid-scene POV shifts can be used for dramatic effect or to reveal sudden insights
  • Should be used sparingly to avoid confusion and maintain narrative clarity
• Transitioning between POVs should be smooth and purposeful, with clear indicators of the shift
  • Time jumps, setting changes, or distinctive character voices can signal a perspective change

Unreliable Narrators: Playing with Trust

• Unreliable narrators are characters whose credibility or perceptions are questionable, misleading the reader
• Can be used to create mystery, suspense, or plot twists by challenging the reader's assumptions
  • Encourages active reading and interpretation to uncover the truth behind the narrator's account
• Unreliability can stem from various factors, such as mental instability, biased perspectives, or deliberate deception
  • Naivety or lack of self-awareness can also contribute to unintentionally misleading narration
• Clues and inconsistencies in the narrator's account can hint at their unreliability
  • Contradictions between the narrator's statements and other characters' observations or dialogues
  • Discrepancies between the narrator's interpretation of events and the reader's intuition
• Reveals and plot twists can challenge the reader's trust in the narrator and recontextualize earlier events
• Exploring the motivations behind an unreliable narrator can add depth and complexity to their character

POV in Action: Analyzing Short Story Examples

• "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe uses first-person POV to create a chilling and intimate account of revenge
  • The narrator's unreliability and dark motivations are gradually revealed through his actions and thoughts
• "Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway employs third-person objective POV to capture a tense conversation between a couple
  • The lack of internal perspectives and the reliance on dialogue and subtext create ambiguity and invite reader interpretation
• "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses first-person POV to portray the narrator's descent into madness
  • The increasingly unreliable narration and the symbolic imagery of the wallpaper reflect the narrator's psychological state
• "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver alternates between first-person and third-person limited POV to explore themes of connection and understanding
  • The shift in perspective from the narrator to his wife's blind friend highlights the transformative power of empathy

Your Turn: Exercises in Perspective Writing

• Rewrite a scene from a well-known fairy tale or myth from the perspective of a minor character
  • Focus on how their unique POV can shed new light on familiar events or characters
• Craft a dialogue-heavy scene between two characters in third-person objective POV
  • Use subtext, body language, and setting details to convey the characters' emotions and power dynamics
• Write a short story that switches between two contrasting POVs (e.g., victim and perpetrator, lovers in a failing relationship)
  • Explore how the different perspectives can create tension, irony, or a more nuanced understanding of the situation
• Experiment with an unreliable narrator by writing a character who deliberately withholds or distorts information
  • Plant clues and inconsistencies that hint at the narrator's true motives or the reality of the situation
• Choose a pivotal moment in your own life and write about it from the perspective of someone else who was present
  • Consider how their background, relationship to you, and personal biases might shape their interpretation of the event