Point of View
The perspective from which a story is told.
Point of view determines who narrates and how much they know, shaping what readers see and how they judge events. Common options include first person, third person limited, and third person omniscient. Writers choose a point of view to control intimacy, reliability, and access to characters’ minds.
Example
The first-person point of view traps readers inside a disturbed mind, forcing them to experience the murder through the narrator’s frantic justifications.
The Tell-Tale Heart · Edgar Allan Poe
Related terms
First-Person NarrationA narrative told by a character using I or we, from inside the events.Unreliable NarratorA narrator whose account cannot be fully trusted due to bias, ignorance, or instability.Free Indirect DiscourseA third-person technique that blends a narrator’s voice with a character’s thoughts.