Types of Point of View

Objective point of view

The writer tells what happens without stating more than can be inferred about the story’s action and dialogue. The narrator never discloses anything about what the characters think or feel. The narrator remains a detached observer.

Third Person Point of View

The narrator does not participate in the action of the story as one of the characters but lets us know exactly how the characters feel. The reader learns about the characters through an outside voice.

First Person Point of View

The narrator participates in the action of the story. When reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that what the narrator is recounting may not be the objective truth. We should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.

Omniscient and Limited Omniscient Points of View

A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing, or omniscient.

A narrator whose knowledge is limited to one character, either major or minor, has a limited omniscient point of view.