According to Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language (2002), point-of-view is “the place from which, or way in which, something is viewed or considered; a standpoint; a mental attitude or opinion; the viewpoint from which a story is narrated” (p. 1101). In other words, it is the “voice” in which a story is told.
On the other hand, one might look at point-of-view as being analogous to the camera used to shoot a movie. Just as is the case with the camera, point-of-view allows writers (and subsequently readers) to zoom in for a close-up, so close, in fact, that they are privy to the characters’ thoughts, or to pull back for a sweeping panoramic shot. Moreover, point-of-view is the tool that allows authors to select, frame, proportion, and emphasize action, as well as selected scenes (Norton, 2000).
There are several different points-of-view, and every author must make the important decision of which to employ when telling his or her story: first person, third-person limited, third-person unlimited, or third-person omniscient.
First-Person Limited
When authors write from the first person point-of-view, they use the first person pronouns “I, me, my,” etc, and the main character (the narrator) relates events from his or her perspective, for example, the lawyer in Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener” or the artist in Henry James’ The Beldonald Holbein.
One drawback of writing in first person is that the main character cannot know what happens to other characters if he or she is not present when those events transpire and can only learn of those events if another character relates them. With first person viewpoint, therefore, not only are readers limited to knowing only what the main character thinks, feels, and sees, so is the writer; and the only way anyone can gain any insight into the other characters’ motives for their actions is through how the main character interprets those motives.
First-Person Omniscient
When a writer uses this point-of-view, as the word “omniscient” implies, the narrator, who is telling the story, possesses the power to know everyone’s motivation because he or she knows what everyone in the story is thinking and what is happening at anytime and in any place, even though he or she is not present. Often called, the old “meanwhile, back at the ranch” technique, first-person omniscient is best used sparingly and with extreme caution, mainly because readers may find it quite implausible that the narrator can, in effect, read minds.
Third-Person Limited
With third-person limited, since the main character is not the narrator of the story, the author does not use first person pronouns but instead uses third-person pronouns “he, she, hers, his,” etc. Yet, with third-person limited, as with first person, readers are privy to the main character’s thoughts and motivations to the exclusion of those of other characters. For example, James Joyce’s “The Dead,” from The Dubliners, and Anton Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Dog” are all stories told from this point-of-view.
Third-Person Unlimited
Also written using third-person pronouns, as its designation implies, third-person unlimited is less restrictive than third-person limited because the author is free to delve into the minds of more than one character. However, most authors limit the point-of-view to that of two or three main characters and provide obvious transitions between differing viewpoints, for example, shifts in scenes, line breaks, or new chapters.
Third-Person Omniscient
As with the first-person omniscient point-of-view, when writers utilize this point-of-view, they become “all-knowing,” which enables them to provide insight into all characters’ motivations. Of course, as a result, the readers also know what all characters are thinking, feeling, and seeing; moreover, the story may go in myriad directions as the focus shifts from one character’s perspective to that of another.
Only a truly skillful writer should even attempt, let alone utilize, the third-person omniscient point-of-view, For example, in his classic sprawling western Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry shifts perspectives from one character to another character, sometimes within the same scene, at other times within the same paragraph, but he possesses a skillfulness and way with words that most novice and even many veteran writers lack.
Which Point of View Is Best?
In the end, each writer must decide which point-of-view will work best for the story he or she intends to tell. Then, he or she should be consistent and not confuse the reader by shifting points-of-view. To do so weakens a story and, ultimately, may result in its being unintentionally amusing.
The Norton Introduction to Literature (1993) New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language (2002) New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 1101.
