Perspective…Perspective…

……and Point of Viewand Point of View

What is What is Perspective?Perspective?

• www.dictionary.com www.dictionary.com defines perspective asdefines perspective as

““a mental view or a mental view or outlook”outlook”

How does perspective How does perspective connect to literature?connect to literature?

Point of Point of View!View!

What is point of view?What is point of view?

• The perspective from The perspective from which the story is told.which the story is told.

• 4 points of view in 4 points of view in literatureliterature

11stst person person(I, we)(I, we)

• Relates events as they are Relates events as they are perceived by a single characterperceived by a single character

• One main character “tells” the One main character “tells” the story and offers opinions about story and offers opinions about the action and other characters.the action and other characters.

– These opinions may differ from These opinions may differ from the author’s!the author’s!

22ndnd person person(you)(you)

• Author tells the story Author tells the story as if it is happening to as if it is happening to the readerthe reader

33rdrd Person Omniscient Person Omniscient(he, she, they)(he, she, they)

•The narrator is “all-knowing” The narrator is “all-knowing” and entirely outside of the and entirely outside of the story’s eventsstory’s events

•Author can tell us anything Author can tell us anything that occurs anywhere, any that occurs anywhere, any time within the story, including time within the story, including any character's thoughtsany character's thoughts

33rdrd Person Limited Person Limited(he, she, they)(he, she, they)

•Presents the events of a Presents the events of a story from the perspective story from the perspective of only one characterof only one character

•No special insight into other No special insight into other characters’ minds or characters’ minds or motivationsmotivations

Which point of view?Which point of view?

1. “I had waited so long 1. “I had waited so long for my dogs, and I so for my dogs, and I so desperately wanted to see desperately wanted to see them and hold them.”them and hold them.”

Which point of view?Which point of view?

2. 2. “The fight had been “The fight had been terrible. Erin knew she had terrible. Erin knew she had been right to confront her been right to confront her mother, but a small part of mother, but a small part of her wished that she hadn’t. her wished that she hadn’t. What if things never went What if things never went back to normal?”back to normal?”

Which point of view?Which point of view?

3. “The fight had been terrible. 3. “The fight had been terrible. Erin knew she had been right Erin knew she had been right to confront her mother, but a to confront her mother, but a small part of her wished that small part of her wished that she hadn’t. Little did she know she hadn’t. Little did she know that her mom felt the same that her mom felt the same way about the argument.”way about the argument.”

Which point of view?Which point of view?4. You creep slowly into the 4. You creep slowly into the dark mouth of the cave. Your dark mouth of the cave. Your heart is pounding; your palms heart is pounding; your palms are sweating. You close your are sweating. You close your eyes and try to calm yourself. eyes and try to calm yourself. You wonder if you will make You wonder if you will make it back out alive.it back out alive.