Narrative Voice and Point of View Flashcards

Grade 12 · English · Flashcards

12 flashcards on narrative point of view, voice, and the unreliable narrator in literary fiction.

Flashcards

Point of view (POV)

The perspective from which a story is told — who narrates and what they can know.

First person narrator

Uses 'I'; a character in the story narrates — creates intimacy but limits scope and risks unreliability.

Third person limited

Narration in 'he/she/they' following one character's perceptions — depth without the constraints of 'I.'

Third person omniscient

All-knowing narrator — accesses all minds, all locations, all events simultaneously.

Second person

Narration using 'you' — rare in literary fiction, creates unusual immersion or implication.

Unreliable narrator

A narrator whose account is compromised by bias, self-deception, limited knowledge, or deliberate lying.

Narrative voice

The distinct personality, tone, and stylistic fingerprint of the narrator — shapes the entire reading experience.

Free indirect discourse

Third-person narration that unconsciously adopts a character's voice and perspective — pioneered by Jane Austen.

Stream of consciousness

A narrative technique mimicking the continuous, associative flow of thought without conventional structure.

Interior monologue

A more explicit version of stream of consciousness — the character's thoughts presented directly to the reader.

Dramatic irony (narrative)

When the reader knows something the narrator does not — or sees the gap between what the narrator claims and what the text reveals.

Implied author

The version of the author inferred from the text's values and choices — distinct from the actual author and the narrator.

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