Point of view
Literary term · say it POINT uhv VYOO
Point of view is the perspective through which a story is told, including whose thoughts and experiences the reader can follow. It shapes what the reader knows, what stays hidden, and how events are understood.
Three common kinds of point of view
First person
A character tells the story from their own perspective. The reader usually knows only what that character experiences, learns, or believes.
In Jane Eyre, Jane recalls being locked in the red-room as a child, describing her fear from inside her own experience.
In Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
Third-person limited
A narrator outside the story follows one character’s perspective at a time. Other characters’ private thoughts usually remain out of reach.
At the end of James Joyce’s The Dead, in Dubliners, the narration follows Gabriel’s thoughts as he reflects on his wife’s memory of Michael Furey and imagines snow falling across Ireland. Her thoughts remain inaccessible to him and to the reader.
In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Third-person omniscient
A narrator outside the story can reveal the thoughts and feelings of several characters. The reader may know things that those characters do not know about one another.
In Pride and Prejudice, the narrator reveals Darcy’s growing admiration for Elizabeth while also showing that she dislikes him and does not suspect his interest.
In Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
How to spot point of view
- Check whether the storyteller is a character in the story.
- Notice whose private thoughts and feelings you can follow.
- Watch for shifts from one character’s perspective to another.
What is the difference between point of view and narrator?
The narrator is whoever tells the story, while point of view is the perspective through which it is presented. A narrator outside the action might follow just one character’s thoughts or move freely among several characters’ minds.
Can a story change its point of view?
Yes, a story can shift between different characters’ perspectives or different kinds of narration. A new chapter or section often marks the change. Notice whose thoughts become available and whether the change gives information that was hidden before.
Related terms
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