Narrative Perspective and Point of View

Whether you are studying English Language or English Literature, understanding narrative perspective and a writer’s viewpoint — and how they are different — can significantly improve your analysis of any fiction or non-fiction text and your creative writing.

Nick Redgrove

English Senior Content Creator

Published

26 June 2024

Read time

8 minutes

Contents

What’s the difference between narrative perspective and the writer’s point of view?

The essential distinction is between the narrator of a text and the writer of a text. A writer and a narrator (or in a poem, a persona) are not necessarily the same. In fiction writing, the narrator is almost always separate from the writer. The story is related to the reader by an invented character, or by a narrator (again, separate from the writer) who is distanced from the story.

However, in non-fiction, the writer is almost always the same as the narrator: the writer relates their account or description of events from their viewpoint.

So, narrative perspective refers to the point of view of a fictional text’s narrator, whereas the writer’s point of view refers to the opinions, stance and perspective of a writer of non-fiction.

What do we mean by narrative perspective?

In English Literature, we generally talk about four types of narrative perspective:

Narrative perspective	Definition
First-person perspective	The writеr narratеs and sharеs thеir thoughts and еxpеriеncеs from thе pеrspеctivе of a single character or narrator using first-person pronouns “I” or “wе”. This first-person point of view offers an intimatе and subjеctivе viеw of еvеnts from the character’s perspective.
Third-person limited	The narrator of a story is not a character in the world of the story but the narration is usually limited to the perspective of one character.
Third-person neutral	The narration is objective and the inner feelings and emotions of characters are not explicitly stated, but must be inferred. This type of narration is not very common.
Third-person omniscient	Omniscient means “all-knowing” so third-person omniscient narration means that a narrator knows everything about the world of the story, including the inner thoughts and feelings of all characters. The narrator can relate events from characters’ pasts and futures (enabling the reader to see character development) and switch focus and setting frequently. A celebrated example of third-person omniscient narration is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

A second-person narrative is an intimate but rarely used form of narration that allows the writer to address the reader using the pronoun, “you”, which gives the narrative a feeling of immediacy.

Analysing narrative perspective in an English Literature exam

Being able to analyse narrative perspective allows you to comment on a sophisticated element of the writer’s methods. The type of narration has an impact on what a reader can know about different characters’ thoughts and feelings. A writer makes these decisions deliberately, as withholding information or giving a reader only partial information, can be vital to the plot and atmosphere of a story. It can help a writer build tension, create mystery, or deliberately misdirect a reader.

Unreliable narrator

A great example of authorial misdirection is through the use of an unreliable narrator. This is when — usually in first-person narration — the narrator’s version of events isn’t reliable. A writer might have their unreliable narrator intentionally deceive — they exaggerate or lie — or a narrator may unintentionally deceive the reader, perhaps because they are not fully aware of the facts themselves.

Grade 9 analysis of narrative perspective

The following example analysis is based on the GCSE and IGCSE exam text The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

Full-mark example
Mark Haddon presents the idea of truth as subjective through his narrator, Christopher. With the first-person narration, we are given a limited perspective of events, all through the eyes of our 15-year-old protagonist. It could be argued that, although this character is clearly honest and never malicious, his age and autism mean he is an unreliable narrator. For example, when Mrs Alexander fetches biscuits for Christopher, his lack of emotional intelligence means that he is fearful that she is in fact going inside to phone the police. However, the narrative perspective gives the reader a sense of Christopher’s version of events — his truth — allowing the reader to understand the nuances, and challenges, of autism spectrum disorder.

Full-mark example

Mark Haddon presents the idea of truth as subjective through his narrator, Christopher. With the first-person narration, we are given a limited perspective of events, all through the eyes of our 15-year-old protagonist. It could be argued that, although this character is clearly honest and never malicious, his age and autism mean he is an unreliable narrator. For example, when Mrs Alexander fetches biscuits for Christopher, his lack of emotional intelligence means that he is fearful that she is in fact going inside to phone the police. However, the narrative perspective gives the reader a sense of Christopher’s version of events — his truth — allowing the reader to understand the nuances, and challenges, of autism spectrum disorder.

What is the writer’s point of view?

Remember, a writer's viewpoint rеfеrs to their unique perspective, stancе or opinion, usually in a piece of non-fiction. A writer's viewpoint is rеflеctеd in thеir writing stylе, tonе, choice of words and the arguments or idеas thеy prеsеnt in their work. Analysing a writer's viewpoint is еssеntial to understanding their intentions.

For example, a writer may be trying to persuade or convince their readers to share their point of view. Identifying this stance can help you spot bias and analyse any rhetorical devices the writer may have used.

Identifying and analysing a writer’s point of view in an English Language exam

In an English Language exam, start by identifying the writer’s point of view before you begin analysing a text, because knowing a writer’s intention can help you unpick how they try to convey their opinions or perspectives.

Establish the writer’s attitude before you start analysing

After you’ve read the exam question, which may help by giving you some clues, you’ll need to read your exam text or insert. As you do this, think about what attitude the writer has towards their subject matter. Are they enthusiastic or fearful, or do they approve or disapprove of what they are writing about?

You can also think about whether they are being objective or subjective about their subject: are they trying to describe events or people without bias, or are they actively trying to persuade the reader to share their perspective?

A good idea is to annotate your extract with a couple of words that reflect the writer’s point of view. You could write this at the top of the page so you remember to structure your analysis by referring to the writer’s attitudes.

Outline your opinion on a writer’s viewpoint

To get the best marks in an exam, it’s really important that you signal to the examiner that you have identified the writer’s point of view by including this in any introduction or topic sentences you include in your exam responses.

Analysing a writer’s point of view

When analysing a writer’s viewpoint, it’s vital that you:

Contextualise a writer’s attitude:
- For example, a writer from the 19th century will have different attitudes to people today on certain topics
- Use any extra information in the exam instructions to understand who the writer is, and where they are from
- Be conscious of your own attitudes and biases when considering different writers’ viewpoints
Use evidence from the text that backs up your opinion:
- You need to show how a writer has conveyed their opinion
- Find specific quotations from the text that illustrate your interpretation of the writer’s attitude
Evaluate how successful the writer is at putting across their point of view:
- Do they do a good job in persuading the reader?
- Do they manage to remain objective and impartial?

Grade 9 analysis of writer’s point of view

This top-mark analysis is based on a question on an Eduqas GCSE English Language past paper from November 2017. The text is from 1850, and its writer describes being onboard a ship set on hunting whales.

Full-mark example
The writer, Henry Cheever, expresses a sense of boyish excitement about the pursuit of the whales. He talks about the ship’s crew “merrily” rowing, and this positive language is reinforced when he hears the “thrilling sound” of a call of “THERE SHE BLOWS!”. The capitalisation and exclamation mark reflective of the writer’s own enthusiastic point of view. Given that attitudes to whaling have changed so much since the 19th century, the description by the writer of the “brave” crew killing this magnificent creature is potentially jarring for a modern reader.

Full-mark example

The writer, Henry Cheever, expresses a sense of boyish excitement about the pursuit of the whales. He talks about the ship’s crew “merrily” rowing, and this positive language is reinforced when he hears the “thrilling sound” of a call of “THERE SHE BLOWS!”. The capitalisation and exclamation mark reflective of the writer’s own enthusiastic point of view. Given that attitudes to whaling have changed so much since the 19th century, the description by the writer of the “brave” crew killing this magnificent creature is potentially jarring for a modern reader.

Find out more

For comprehensive tips and guidance on how to analyse language in any English Language exam, check out the links below:

How to Analyse Language in an English Language Exam

How to Analyse Structure in an English Language Exam

Analysing Non-Fiction and Fiction in an English language Exam

The Top 127 Literary Devices You Need to Know to Save Your Exams

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Written by Nick Redgrove

English Senior Content Creator 14 articles

Nick is a graduate of the University of Cambridge and King’s College London. He started his career in journalism and publishing, working as an editor on a political magazine and a number of books, before training as an English teacher. After nearly 10 years working in London schools, where he held leadership positions in English departments and within a Sixth Form, he moved on to become an examiner and education consultant. With more than a decade of experience as a tutor, Nick specialises in English, but has also taught Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.

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