First person
Literary term · say it FURST PUR-suhn
First person is a point of view in which a narrator tells a story using I or we. The narrator takes part in the story, so readers usually know only what that person experiences, learns, thinks, or remembers.
Where first person appears
The main character tells the story
The narrator describes events at the centre of their own life. Readers follow those events through the narrator’s thoughts and feelings.
In Jane Eyre, Jane recalls being locked in the red-room as a child and describes her fear.
In Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
A witness tells the story
The narrator takes part in events but focuses much of the account on someone else. Readers see that person through the witness’s observations and judgments.
In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway watches Gatsby reach towards the green light across the water, without yet understanding what it means to him.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
How to spot first person
- Look for I or we in the narration, not just in dialogue.
- Check whether the narrator takes part in the events.
- Notice whose thoughts the narrator can describe directly.
Is a first-person narrator the author?
A first-person narrator is not necessarily the author. In fiction, the narrator is usually a character within the story. Even when that character shares details with the author, the two should not automatically be treated as the same person.
Is a first-person narrator always unreliable?
No, a first-person narrator is not always unreliable. Having a limited view is different from giving a misleading account. Look for contradictions, hidden motives, or gaps between the narrator’s judgments and the events before deciding whether to distrust the account.
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