Narrative "point of view" Flashcards
definition narrative pov
Narrative POV is the perspective through which a story is being told.
First person = character exists within the narrative and the world of the story is shaped by their perspective
Third person = story is told by someone outside of the narrative, can be omniscient and know everything about all characters or limited and only know information about a single character
Jerome Stern defines POV as “the central consciousness that narrates the tale”
important context or history of narrative pov
POV comes from Latin term punctum visus meaning where your sight limits what you can see and French term point de vue meaning position from which a thing is supposed to be viewed
related keywords or concepts narrative pov
Related to the idea of reliability within the narrator
First person is often regarded as ‘unreliable’ or ‘reliably unreliable’
2-3 examples how narrative pov applies to readings
Benito Cereno, point of view is limited to Delano’s and we only understand what is happening through his eyes, so the reader is similarly blinded to what is happening on the ship
The Turn of the Screw, point of view is narrated in the first person through the eyes of the governess who could be descending into paranoia
