Point of View and Perspective Flashcards

Grade 6 · English · Flashcards

Study point of view types, narrator reliability, and perspective in literature.

Flashcards

Point of view (POV): The perspective from which a story is narrated — determines what readers know
First-person POV: Narrator is a character in the story and uses 'I' — intimate but limited and potentially biased
Second-person POV: Narrator addresses the reader as 'you' — uncommon in literary fiction
Third-person limited: Narrator uses he/she/they and reveals only one character's inner thoughts
Third-person omniscient: All-knowing narrator reveals any character's thoughts, feelings, and motivations
Unreliable narrator: A narrator whose account is biased, incomplete, or self-deceived — readers must read critically
Perspective: A character's unique worldview shaped by background, values, and experience
Narrator: The voice telling the story — may or may not be a character in it
Bias in narration: A narrator's tendency to favor their own perspective, which may distort their account
Limited knowledge: A first-person narrator can only report what they directly experience — a key constraint
Omniscient narrator: Knows all — can jump between characters' minds and reveal information no single character has
POV shift effect: Changing whose perspective narrates a scene changes what readers know and feel about events