Point of View

Imagine looking at a playground through a telescope, then through a keyhole, and then through a bird's eyes. Point of view is who is telling the story and what they can see. If a story is told by the I, you feel like you are inside their head. If it is told by a narrator, it is like a wise voice speaking from the clouds. Changing who tells the story changes everything we know about the world! It teaches us that everyone has their own side of the story and that looking at things from a different spot can change what we think is true.

Looking at things from a different spot can change what we think is true. The wolf has a different version of Little Red Riding Hood. The iceberg has a different version of the Titanic. There is no story without a teller. And the teller always leaves fingerprints on the truth.

POV encompasses first-person, second-person, third-person limited, and omniscient perspectives. Primary tool for establishing narrative reliability and psychological distance. Highlights the situatedness of knowledge: constraining information creates dramatic irony and unreliable narration. Forces theory of mind — the ability to attribute mental states to others — a cornerstone of social intelligence. The narrator is never neutral. The narrator is always the first character.

SOUND: Listening to a conversation through a wall versus being in the room: perspective changes everything.

SMELL: The popcorn only you can smell because you are holding the bag: your private reality.

TASTE: The sweetness of candy you are describing to someone who cannot have any: your words become their taste.

TOUCH: Feeling the texture of a rock while your friend only sees the color: different data, different truth.

SIGHT: Looking through tinted glasses that turn everything blue or red: the lens is the story.

BODY: Feeling dizzy when a character in a book is spinning: your body adopted their point of view.

Music: Bells & Whistles by Megan Moroney & Kacey Musgraves

Music: Windmills of Your Mind by Dusty Springfield

Part of Storytelling & Narrative — ART — Education Revelation