Narration Clarification
Hans Ness
Countless guides abound on the different types of narration, but to me, they’re either oversimplified or verbose ... or both. And they usually overlook some observable patterns. So here’s my take on a more complete condensed guide.
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First Person
A character tells the story, referring to themselves in the first-person (I, me, my) — or maybe two main characters narrating in alternating chapters.
The narration is usually in a natural voice, as if they were speaking, like
The Catcher in the Rye:
I’m just going through a phase right now. Everybody goes through phases and all, don’t they?
Or the character may narrate in a heightened literary voice, while only their dialogue is casual.
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Third Person
There are several variants of narrators who refer to everyone in the third-person (he, she, they, etc.). The main difference is whose mind can they read:
Omniscient — The narrator knows
everyone’s thoughts and feelings; or more precisely, they show two or more characters’ thoughts within the same chapter/section. And they may know details that none of the characters know, like a deity everywhere all at once.
(Short for Third Person Subjective Omniscient)
Limited — The narrator knows only
one character’s thoughts and feelings, or each chapter/section may switch to a different character’s perspective. Like a ghost, the narrator is in only one place at a time. They might
strictly stay on the character’s shoulder and know only what the character knows. Or they may
loosely take flight at times to objectively see what others see (without reading their minds) and tell histories.
(Short for Third Person Subjective Limited Omniscient; also Close Third)
Objective — The narrator
never reads anyone’s internal thoughts or feelings. They might be a dumb fly on the wall who can only describe exactly what they see, or they might be insightful enough to interpret how characters feel, just like any normal person could do.
(Short for Third Person Objective)
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How to Read Minds
There are three ways a Limited/Omniscient narrator can read minds. You may use all three in the same story, but for style, it may be better to use just one or two.
Reported Thoughts — When the narrator describes characters’ thoughts, this is called
reported or
normal indirect speech.
He knew he was too late and realized he was foolish to delay.
Inner Monologue — When the character thinks in actual words, this is called
quoted or
direct speech, which can use quote marks, italics, or neither:
“I’m too late,” he thought. “I shouldn’t have delayed. Why am I so foolish?”
I’m too late, he thought. I shouldn’t have delayed. Why am I so foolish?
I’m too late, he thought. I shouldn’t have delayed. Why am I so foolish?
Channeling — When the narrator speaks for the character, this is called
free indirect speech. This is rare. It usually starts with reported thoughts, then the voices of the narrator and character merge, like an inner monologue but in the third person and narrative tense without quotes.
He knew he was too late. He shouldn’t have delayed. Why was he so foolish?
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Does the Narrator have a Personality?
Transparent — The third-person narrator has no opinion or personality. They are transparent, completely unseen. This is most common.
Personified — The third-person narrator has their own opinions and personality. I’ve found no official term for this, so let’s call them a Personified narrator. They may break the fourth wall to address the reader directly and refer to themselves in the first person. They may add commentary throughout, or just occasionally and otherwise stay transparent for most scenes. They may be conversational or formal. They often add humor, like
The Hitchhiker’s Guide and
Catch-22, but any genre can have it.
Character — More than just personified, the narrator is an actual person in the story, often revealed in the end as a surprise. Or they may be a spirit-like character, like Death or an angel.
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Breaking the Fourth Wall
Both first-person and third-person may directly address the reader or acknowledge their existence. For example, in
The Hobbit, the third-person narrator knows you are a human not from their world:
The mother of our particular hobbit — what is a hobbit? I suppose hobbits need some description nowadays, since they have become rare and shy of the Big People, as they call us.... Now you know enough to go on with. As I was saying, the mother of this hobbit ...
The narrator might also imply a purpose for telling their story. For example, in
The Tell-Tale Heart, the first-person narrator wants to convince you that he is not insane:
True! — nervous — very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?
Huckleberry Finn even knows he is in a book:
You don’t know about me without you have read a book by the name of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” but that ain’t no matter.
However, most stories do not address or acknowledge the reader, nor do they imply a reason for telling the story. The narrator simply tells their story in an empty room, which you the reader overhear.
Some readers are put off by this authorial intrusion and personified narrators. There’s no objective reason for this, just a preference. But this style of narration does risk breaking the flow and adding too many voices, so it must be handled with skill.
(On stage, the set has three walls, and the front of the stage is the invisible fourth wall. If an actor talks to the audience, that “breaks the fourth wall”. In books this is also called Authorial Intrusion.)
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Head Hopping
This is sometimes confused with omniscient narration, so let’s clarify.
Omniscient narrators may freely hop into multiple characters’ heads as often as they want to read their minds.
Pam thought it was stupid, and Sam thought it was confusing, but Tam thought it was hilarious.
For
Limited, the narrator stays with the same character throughout the chapter or section. Hopping to a different character’s head within a section may be jarring, and you lose intimacy with each character.
But there is a compromise. Limited narrators sometimes switch to
Objective to see what other characters see, but not read their thoughts, so they’re shoulder hopping, not head hopping. And switching to
Omniscient can work for action and comic scenes because intimacy with the character’s deep feelings is not needed there. But pedants would still object to this.
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Switching Narration
While you are generally advised to stay consistent with one type of narration throughout the story, there are exceptions. Sometimes introductory chapters are
Omniscient for world-building, then switch to
Limited for the rest of the story, like in
Harry Potter. And Limited/Omniscient narrators may go whole chapters without reading minds, temporarily
Objective.
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Verb Tense
Most stories are narrated in
Past Tense, while few are in
Present Tense.
I tasted the porridge. It was too hot. | She saw a wolf.
I taste the porridge. It is too hot. | She sees a wolf.
Past-tense narrators may optionally foretell or hint at future events in the storyline, but some stick strictly to the storyline’s present and past.
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Pros & Cons
First Person and
Strict Limited make it easier for readers to connect with the protagonist(s) because it stays so close to their point of view. The disadvantage is this sometimes requires contrived scenarios to witness/overhear other characters to relay information they would not know otherwise. A
2016 study shows first person and limited third both evoke the same amount of empathy from the reader, contrary to some claims.
Omniscient and
Loose Limited make it easier to relay more information, but since they spend less time in the point of view of the protagonist(s), readers have less opportunity to connect (though it’s certainly still possible).
Objective also distances the reader since they can’t read thoughts, or it requires contrived reasons for the protagonist to speak their feelings.
First Person limits the wording if your character is narrating in their natural voice with casual language.
Third Person gives you the freedom to use heightened language.
First Person may optionally be an
unreliable narrator to intrigue the reader with a skewed perspective. Third Person is almost always a reliable narrator. (Note: Both 1st and 3rd person may withhold information for surprise reveals.)
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Forget Realism
There’s nothing realistic about any narrator. A third person narrator is like a ghost or deity, breaking all laws of physics. And even a first person narrator has impossibly accurate memories, quoting conversations verbatim and recalling the most trivial details. And for present tense, how are they narrating everything in real time? And it’s rarely established why the narrator is even telling you the story. So don’t bother debating which narration is more plausible.
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Risk Taking
Many publishers and agents don’t want to take risks on writers who take risks. So new authors seeking traditional publishing may have better chances sticking to a strict narrative style, also avoiding
Personified and
Channeling since those are rarer and harder. Or self-publish and take your own risks.
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Third Person Questionnaire
When starting a story in
Third Person, ask yourself these questions:
- How many shoulders does the narrator sit on? The main character? A few characters? A secondary character/witness? Unlimited?
- How many minds can the narrator read? The main character? A few characters? A secondary character/witness? Unlimited? No one?
- Does the narrator need to explain histories and details that the characters might not know?
- Does the narrator already know future events of the story? Do they hint at it?
- Do the characters think in words, like an inner monologue? Can the narrator speak for the character, or do they just describe their thoughts?
- Does the narrator have opinions and a personality? Do they ever address the reader directly? If so, how often?
| Narrator |
Pron. |
Perspective |
Psychic |
Personality |
Usage |
| First Person |
1st |
one/some |
no |
yes |
common |
| Omniscient |
3rd |
all |
yes |
optional |
declining |
| Limited |
3rd |
one/some |
yes |
optional |
common |
| Objective |
3rd |
any |
no |
unlikely |
rare |