Narrator (literature)
In literature, a narrator is the entity that tells a story, playing a crucial role in conveying the narrative to the reader. Narrators can be distinct from the authors of the work; while an author may choose to narrate their own story, many narrators are fictional characters or other beings involved in the storyline. They can be categorized primarily by their perspective—first, second, or third person—and by their narrative voice, which encompasses their personality and approach to storytelling.
First-person narrators share the story from the viewpoint of a character within the tale, while third-person narrators observe and describe actions and events, with some possessing omniscient knowledge of the characters' thoughts and feelings. The less common second-person narration directly addresses the reader, creating an immersive experience. Additionally, narrators may be classified as unreliable or intrusive, affecting how the story is perceived and interpreted by the audience. Overall, narrators are essential for shaping readers' experiences, influencing how they connect with the narrative and its characters.
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Narrator (literature)
A narrator in literature is the person (or thing) that narrates, or tells, a story. A story—whether spoken, written, or expressed by any other linguistic means—cannot be conveyed without a narrator. Narrators are separate from authors, although authors may also serve as narrators. Many narrators in literature are fictional characters, some of whom may be active participants in the story being told.
There are many kinds of narrators in literature. Readers often categorize them based on their perspective (how they are related to the story) and their voice (how they approach and present the story). Regardless of their differences, narrators are very important in literature. They help to convey information to readers, and may also add depth and interest to the stories themselves.
Background
Narrators in literature have been around as long as people have been telling and writing down stories. All literature, from the ancient epics of Homer to the world's religious creation tales to modern-day novels, have employed some form of narration to convey ideas to readers.
The narrator of a story is not necessarily the author of the story, or vice versa. The author is the person who writes the story. The narrator is the person (or other being) within the story that functions to present information to the reader.
A story's author may also be the narrator. This occurs when a story contains the direct and personal words, ideas, knowledge, and opinions of the author. An example is an autobiography that tells a narrative about the life of the author, in the author's own words.
In many cases, particularly in fictional texts, the author creates a separate narrator to tell the story. This fictional narrator is often a character directly involved in the story. In other cases, the narrator might be indistinct. This narrator may just tell the story without revealing his or her identity or becoming directly involved with the story.
Overview
Narrators serve several purposes in literature. They tell the story, and some are actively involved in the story. In addition, narrators serve as a gateway between the reader and the ideas in the literature. The attitude, behavior, point of view, and knowledge of the narrator may greatly affect the reader's experience of the literature. Some readers find interesting narrators even more engaging than the stories they are telling.
Readers must always remember that the narrator is not necessarily the author. In fact, narrators may be very different people from the author. (Some fictional narrators may even be animals, monsters, or other non-human beings.) Narrators may hold beliefs, voice opinions, and act in various ways that the author would not. Narrators may vary so widely that readers and scholars attempt to categorize them. Two main categories are perspective and narrative voice.
One of the most important characteristics of the narrator is his or her perspective. Literature is generally divided into three major categories of perspective: first, second, and third person. Narrators may approach a story from any of these points of view.
In first-person narratives, the narrator is part of the story's action. The narrator describes what is happening in first-person terms such as "I" and "we." First-person narrators may be important characters that the readers learn much about, or anonymous background characters simply describing what they see or hear. First-person narrators, like real people, are limited in their knowledge. They can only tell readers what they know, not what other characters know.
Second-person narratives are unusual. In this perspective, the narrator is telling the story to another person, using words like "you," "your," and "yours." Although rare, second-person narrators may add surprising layers of depth and interest to a work of literature.
In third-person narratives, the narrator is generally not a direct part of the story. Rather, he or she is simply an observer watching other people and events, and describing them to the reader. Some third-person narrators have the same limits of knowledge as first-person narrators. However, others are omniscient, or all knowing. Omniscient narrators can share the hidden thoughts and feelings of all characters.
The other method of categorizing narrators is by narrative voice. Narrative voice is a broad term encompassing a narrator's personal approach to the narration. It includes such factors as the narrator's identity, personality, attitudes, actions, and motivations. It may also include other factors including the way the narrator delivers information. For instance, a narrator may describe events as they happen, write letters about her or his feelings, or retell tales that took place long ago.
An omniscient third-person narrator may have a plain narrative voice, simply describing events accurately and thoroughly. Other stories employ narrative voices that show more about the narrator, even her or his faults. A few kinds of narrative voices that reveal the narrator's personality are intrusive and unreliable voices.
An intrusive narrator tells a story but then pauses regularly to interject his or her own feelings on the matter, or give the reader background information. This kind of narrator was popular in early novels and was useful in delivering moral messages or fictional (or even nonfictional) details that might enhance the reading experience.
An unreliable narrator cannot be fully trusted. Readers must assess the information from these kinds of narrators based on what they know about the narrator. Many kinds of narrators may be unreliable. Some are unreliable on purpose, such as criminals trying to hide information about their deeds, or people who lie to make themselves sound more important. Others are unintentionally unreliable. These narrators may be children or disabled people without the knowledge or processing abilities of most adults. They may also simply be outsiders who truly do not know the truth about the situation they are describing.
Another aspect of narrative voice deals with the delivery of information. Most works of literature are direct and linear accounts of people and events. Others take a wide variety of other approaches to convey information to readers. Literature may be constructed from many narrators and narratives using different media, such as journal entries, letters, or stream-of-consciousness accounts. These works of literature may engage readers on many levels, as readers try to assemble and interpret various parts of a tale.
Bibliography
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