Narrative Point of View
Narrative point of view in the creative writing of fiction describes the narrator's position in relation to the story being told. Point of view differs from similar terms and concepts such as perspective, viewpoint, or the point-of-view of a camera. Perspective refers to a particular attitude toward or a way of regarding something; when discussed in fiction writing, perspective means the subjective perception of a character. Viewpoint refers to the position from which something is viewed, and point-of-view in film refers to the view captured by the camera’s optics. The viewpoint of a person or the point-of-view of a camera is not analogous to narrative point of view in literature.
Read more about this topic: Narrative Mode
Famous quotes containing the words point of view, narrative, point and/or view:
“Where there is no style, there is in effect no point of view. There is, essentially, no anger, no conviction, no self. Style is opinion, hung washing, the calibre of a bullet, teething beads.... One’s style holds one, thankfully, at bay from the enemies of it but not from the stupid crucifixions by those who must willfully misunderstand it.”
—Alexander Theroux (b. 1940)
“The narrative impulse is always with us; we couldn’t imagine ourselves through a day without it.”
—Robert Coover (b. 1932)
“If you give me a short shot I will attack you. I’m not a baseliner who rallies. I try to get the point over with.”
—Venus Williams (b. 1980)
“Now view yourself as I was, on the spot—
With a slight kind of engine. Do you see?
Like this . . . You wouldn’t hang me? I thought not.””
—Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869–1935)