What Is Third Person Narrative?

Third-person narrative is one of the most common techniques in storytelling. Although there are several types of third-person narrative, its common feature is that narration features third-person pronouns ("he" and "she"), as opposed to the first-person pronoun ("I").
  1. Identification

    • Third-person narrative can be identified by looking at the pronouns used in the narrative. Third-person narrative uses "he," "she," "it" and "they," not "I" or "you."

    Function

    • This form of narrative tends to offer the most objective view of a story because neither the narrator nor the reader are participants. Even in third-person narrative where subjective thoughts and feelings are known, they are generally contextualized by the thoughts and feelings of other characters.

    Objective and Subjective

    • Objective third-person narration does not reveal anything internal about a character, reporting only what can be observed. Subjective narration uses the thoughts of a number of characters as a lens to relate and interpret events.

    Omniscient and Limited

    • An omniscient narrator has access to all characters' perspectives at all times, as well as all events and times. A limited or closed narrative voice uses the thoughts of only one character to experience the events in the story.

    Considerations

    • Occasionally, third-person narratives make limited use of other narrative voices, both first- and second-person. Occasional use of third-person draws the narrator into the story, while use of the second-person involves the reader as a participant.

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