What is narration?

Narration refers to the process of telling the story. When we analyse narrative features in
texts, we ask ourselves these questions: From what point of view is the story told? Are there
limitations to this viewpoint? Who is telling the story and why?
Purpose – Why do we analyse narration?
We analyse a point of view and limitations to this point of view because the exercise can tell
us:
(a) whether the story is told in an objective or subjective manner.
(b) whether the person telling the story is credible and whether we should believe everything
he tells us; whether the narrator (or even the writer) may be influencing us (the reader) to
adopt a particular position or to agree or sympathize with him and his cause.
(c) whether we are getting the full picture of events in the story or whether some of the
information is deliberately withheld so that we may need to make our own inferences.
Method – How do we analyse narrative features in texts?
We analyse narrative features by looking at three areas (which will be covered in the following
sections).
(a) Point of view – from what point of view is the story told? First, second or third, and why?
(b) Degree of limitation in the point of view- how much information is given, and how much is
withheld?
(c) Characteristics and motives of the narrator – how credible or believable is the narrator?
Does he have a motive for telling the story (especially if it is told in the first person)?
Point of view
Definition – Point of view
Point of view refers to the perspective from which a story is told. The two most common forms
of perspective are the first person and the third person point of view.
(a) First person narration
A story is told in the first person if the character who tells the story is involved in the story.
Usually, this is indicated by the use of the word “I”. I often in short stories, the first person
narrator plays the central role in the story. However, there may be times when he may play a
more minor role as an observer. For example, the novel The Great Gatsby F.Scott Fitzgerald is
told in the first person by the character Nick. However, the story revolves round the
pretentious lifestyle of the main character, Gatsby. Nick plays a minor role as a commentator
on the events he witnesses.
Advantages of the first person perspective
The first person point of view is effective because it enables the readers to see things from the
point of view of the narrator. It is as if we are listening to an actual person recounting his
experiences. This makes the story seem more personal and realistic. Because the story is more
personal, we become more engaged, thus allowing the text to move us in a more powerful
way. Telling a story in the first person is especially effective for evoking feelings of empathy or
sympathy for the narrator on the part of the reader.
Disadvantages of the first person perspective
The first person point of view in limited in the sense that the reader cannot knowledge
everything that is going on. This is obvious because the story is told only from one person’s
point of view or perspective. For example, in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Jane recounts her
love for Rochester has ceased to notice her. It is only later in the text that we realize that it is
Jane whom Rochester truly loves. Thus, the reader, together with Jane, is kept ignorant of what
other characters feel. This subjective perspective is helpful in creating a sense of suspense and
allowing the reader, together with the narrator, to become engaged in piecing together with
the narrator, to become engaged in piecing together the truth of the events.
Third person narration
Definition
The events and characters are told by an implied narrator who is outside the text but who
appears to have knowledge of the events and the characters in the story.
An omniscient narrator is one who is all- knowing and able to read the minds of all the other
characters in the novel.
A partially omniscient narrator, on the other hand, only sees things through the eyes of a single
character (usually the main character of the text). For example, compare this next extract with
the precious one: “Casey had a feeling that what they were doing, sneaking out in the middle of
the night, was wrong. He could not understand why Jay was so insistent on sneaking out that
night to get the boat. “The narrator of this text is limited because the story is told only from the
point of view of the main character.
Advantages of the third person perspective
Telling a story in the third person provides a more objective account of events because it
enables the reader to look at events from the perspectives of various characters, and this
allows the reader to make his own judgement.
Disadvantages of the third person perspective
One disadvantage of the third person perspective is that the story is told to the reader
indirectly through a narrator. This makes the story less personal. Although the third person
perspective leads a tone of objectivity to the narration, it can also create a sense of detachment
in the reader.