Third person omniscient point of view1/17/2024 ![]() The narrator does not draw attention to the act of looking, as that would be contrary to a close third POV. And because they are central, they are built on and magnified in the next scene when Johanna looks in the window of “Milady’s,” a fashionable dress shop in town. These qualities are central to the plot of this short story. And yet, while we may not know what she wants, there are things we do know, mainly that she is practical and plain. As the first few pages unfold, the reader doesn’t know anything of Johanna’s plans, only that she wants to ship some furniture across country. But in Munro’s world, a slow build of story rests on a strong foundation of character. It will be a great many pages before the reader learns how Johanna came to arrive at her present circumstances, and why she wants to change them. Only a close third can do that.Īs in all of Alice Munro’s stories, this one builds slowly. ![]() Still on the first page, Munro gives us this glorious sentence: “Her teeth were crowded to the front of her mouth, as if ready for an argument.” This ingenious line is intensely satisfying for the way in which it provides a physical description of Johanna and reveals not just the station agent’s disdain, but the contentious relationship developing between the two. It’s a lot for one little sentence to live up to. ![]() Filtered through the eyes of the male character, this comment tells us something about the station agent’s attitude, Johanna’s appearance, and the narrow world in which they both live. And that’s the point of a close third POV. But it’s a narrator who is so close to the character that it’s hard to tell them apart. We first meet Johanna through the eyes of the station agent, who, the narrator tells us, “often tried a little teasing with women, especially the plain ones who seem to appreciate it.” That brief mention is provided in the narrative (not dialogue), so it’s the narrator who is speaking. ![]() In Alice Munro’s short story Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, the close third gives us a glimpse into the lives of six characters, with a special focus on Johanna, a dour young woman who is leaving town for what she hopes will be a new life of marriage and friendship. No longer impartial or static, the close third voice leans towards a particular character so that the reader can see a situation through that character’s eyes.īecause the close third tilts the narrative to the character’s perspective, the voice is less of a fence sitter and more of an invested observer, someone who is privy to the character’s innermost thoughts and desires. So how to bridge that gap? How to offer the sweeping POV that third person provides while bringing the reader to your characters?Ī close third narrator retains the natural omniscience of a third person POV but shifts the angle from which the story is told. But contemporary readers may not respond naturally to authority, nor to the distance that can come with it. She does, after all, know all, see all, tell all. The third-person omniscient narrator comes with an air of authority. Third person POV brings with it notions of objectivity, a seemingly neutral stance that is impossible in first- and second-person narratives. (There’s also an opportunity to annoy your reader, so use it sparingly.)Ī third person narrative, identified by the pronouns he, she, and they, can provide a birds-eye view of the story and its characters. There’s an energy and immediacy in this approach, as if the narrator has a direct relationship with the reader. With second person POV, I becomes you, transforming the reader into a de facto character. First person tends to be more intimate than any other point of view, providing the singular voice that is the I of the story. When we talk about point of view (POV), we’re referring to first-, second-, and third person-the method of narration that brings the reader into the book.
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