THIRD-PERSON NARRATIVE

The third-person narrative is narration in the third person. The participants in the
narrative are understood to be distinct from the person telling the story and the person to
whom, or by whom, it is read.

Third-person narrative is one of three possible modes of narration. The others are first-
person narrative, in which the narrative voice is the protagonist of the narrative, referred
to in the first person, as I or we, and (rarely) second-person narrative, in which the
protagonist is referred to in the second person, as "you".

Third person limited became the most popular narrative perspective during the twentieth
century. Third person limited is sometimes called the "over the shoulder" perspective; it
shows the story as though the narrator could only describe events that could be
perceived by a viewpoint character. It can be used very objectively, showing what is
actually happening without the filter of the protagonist's personality, thus allowing the
author to reveal information that the protagonist doesn't know or realize. However,
some authors use an even narrower and more subjective perspective, as though the
viewpoint character were narrating the story; this is dramatically very similar to the first
person, allowing in-depth revelation of the protagonist's personality, but uses third-
person grammar. Some writers will shift perspective from one viewpoint character to
another.

In third person limited the narrator is outside of the story and tells the story from only
one character's view. The character's thoughts are revealed through the narrator. The
reader learns the events of the narrative through the perceptions of the chosen character.
Third person limited uses pronouns such as, he, she, they, their, herself, himself,
themselves, etc.

Historically, the "third person omniscient" perspective was more common. This is the
tale told from the point of view of the storyteller who knows all the facts. The primary
advantage is that it injected the narrator's own perspective and reputation into the story,
creating a greater sense of objectivity for the story. The disadvantage of this mode is
that it creates more distance between the reader and the story.

Some make the distinction between "third person omniscient" and "universal
omniscient." The difference being that in universal omniscient, the narrator reveals
information that the characters do not have. Currently this style is out of favor.

There is also a "third person objective" perspective which tells a story without detailing
any characters' thoughts and instead gives an objective point of view. This point of view
can be described as "a fly on the wall" and is often used in newspaper articles. For
instance the writer is restricted to not being able to use I, me or my.

Here are some examples:

Third Person Omniscient – This variation, as mentioned earlier, allows you to tell the
reader exactly what is going on inside various characters’ heads in regards to their
thoughts and feelings, while also showing their actions.

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John couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He thought the flash of bright, red light that
streaked across the sky might’ve been lightning. Rubbing his eyes, he looked a second
time and realized, as it flashed in the same place again, that it wasn’t, nor was it a
figment of his imagination.
Notice some of the key words used in this example, particularly the phrase: “he
thought”. Using this phrase would indicate to the reader, maybe on a subconscious
level, that what he or she is reading is currently going on inside the character’s head.
Third Person Objective – The author can only tell, or show, the reader what is
happening with a character, but is not allowed to go inside their head to figure out what
they are thinking or feeling. This requires a bit more talent as you’ll have to convey
everything to the reader through the characters’ actions alone. As an example of this:
Jennifer stirred in bed. The thin white cotton sheet clung intimately to her body as she
rolled to face the nightstand. With eyes half open, she reached over to switch the alarm
clock off when the man in the shadows reached out and grabbed her arm. Her scream
pierced the quiet night and died abruptly as she was forced violently back into the dark
oblivion.
Notice that there aren’t any references to “she thought” or “she was thinking”. When the
man grabbed her arm, we couldn’t know what types of horrible thoughts going through
her head (although we had a sense of what they might be by her scream.)
Third Person Limited Objective or Limited Omniscient – Notice that I included two
under this heading. This is because the “limited” variation indicates a concentration on
one single character throughout the story. So, for third person limited omniscience,
you’re allowed to go through every single thought, feeling, and action, but with only
one character. Likewise, in third person limited objective, you’re allowed to view all of
the action, but only with one character.

CONCLUSION

The third-person limited omniscient is a narrative mode. In this mode, the reader and
writer observe the situation from the outside through the senses and thoughts of a single
character, although that focal character may shift throughout the course of any given
narrative. Furthermore, there is no implied fictional intermediary between the reader
and the story, as there would be in the case of a fictional newspaper article with an
implied fictional reporter.

While an omniscient point of view can change viewpoint characters instantly, the
limited omniscient point of view narrative limits narration to what can be known, seen,
thought, or judged from a single character's perspective. Thus, the narration is limited in
the same way a first-person narrative might be, but the text is written from the third-
person perspective.

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Third person, omniscient

An omniscient narrator takes no actions and has no physical form in or out of the story.
But, being omniscient, it witnesses all events, even some that no characters witness. The
omniscient narrator is privy to all things past, present and future - as well as the
thoughts of all characters. As such, an omniscient narrator offers the reader a birds-eye
view about the story. The story can focus on any character at any time and on events
where there is no character. The third-person omniscient narrator is usually the most
reliable narrator; however, the omniscient narrator may offer judgments and express
opinions on the behavior of the characters. This was common in the 19th century, as
seen in the works of Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy or George Eliot. Some more modern
examples are Lemony Snicket and J.K. Rowling. In some unusual cases, the reliability
and impartiality of the narrator may be in question.

It offers a constant danger that the author may come between the reader and the story, or
that the continual shifting of viewpoint from character to character may cause a
breakdown in coherence or unity. Used skilfully, it enables the author to achieve
simultaneous breadth and depth. Unskilfully used, it can destroy the illusion of reality
which the story attempts to create.

Third person, objective

The author does not enter a single mind, but instead records what can be seen and heard.
This type of narrator is like a camera or a fly on the wall. This is used by journalists in
articles—it only gives the facts, from one fixed perspective.

The author disappears into a kind of roving sound camera. This camera can go
anywhere, but can record only what is seen and heard. It cannot comment, interpret, or
enter a character's mind. The purest example of a story told from the objective point
would be one written entirely in dialogue.

The objective point of view has the most speed and the most action; also, it forces the
reader to make his own interpretations. On the other hand, it must rely heavily on
external action and dialogue, and it offers no opportunities for interpretations by the
author.

The objective point of view sometimes referred to as the Dramatic point of view.