Narrative Techniques and Point of View — Flashcards

Grade 11 · English · Flashcards

Key terms for narrative techniques and point of view in 11th grade English.

Flashcards

Point of View (POV): The perspective from which a narrative is told — first, second, or third person
First-Person Narration: Uses 'I'; narrator is a story participant; intimate but limited and potentially unreliable
Third-Person Limited: Uses he/she/they; follows one character's perspective and inner thoughts only
Third-Person Omniscient: Uses he/she/they; narrator has access to all characters' thoughts and all information
Second-Person Narration: Addresses the reader as 'you' — rare in literary fiction; used in interactive and experimental texts
Unreliable Narrator: A narrator whose perception is compromised by bias, psychology, or limited understanding
Foreshadowing: Hints about future events planted earlier in the narrative to create anticipation
Flashback: A narrative interruption that returns to an earlier time for backstory or context
In Medias Res: Beginning a narrative in the middle of the action rather than at the chronological start
Pacing: The speed at which a narrative moves — slowing for emphasis, accelerating for action
Frame Narrative: A story-within-a-story structure where an outer narrator introduces an inner tale
Narrative Distance: How close or removed the narrator feels from the events and characters — affects reader intimacy