Point of View - Third Person

We’ve talked about first and second person point of view and now third person which you are probably most familiar with. This is the story you read with the pronouns of “they” “them” “theirs”  “he” and “she” or simply by name “Tom said” or “Jane felt”. 

In third-person narration or point of view, the narrator is an external observer and not a character in the story. The narration can have different levels of knowledge and access to characters' feelings and thoughts.

There are three types of third person point of views:

• Third-Person Omniscient: The narrator knows everything about the characters and the story including their thoughts and feelings and future events. 

• Third-Person Limited:The narrator focuses on the thoughts, feelings, and actions of one specific character, and the reader only knows what that character knows. 

• Third-Person Objective:The narrator reports actions and dialogue without delving into the thoughts or feelings of any characters, offering a detached viewpoint. 

You’ve probably read many books with third-person omniscient narration. In fact, this is the narration I have chosen for my thesis novel. With this type of narration, the reader will get to not only know my main characters but feel their emotions, hear their thoughts and feel what they feel. You cannot get this with any other type of narration. And this is the most popular point of view in writing.

A best selling book with third-person omniscient POV is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin.

A best selling book with third-person limited POV is the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.

A best selling book with third-person objective POV is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. 

Next Week: The Art of Storytelling

Until Next Time…