Glossary
Bias (in narration)
A narrator's personal opinions, experiences, or prejudices that influence how they present the story. This can skew the reader's perception of events or characters.
Example:
A character recounting a past argument might present their own actions favorably while highlighting the other person's flaws, revealing their inherent bias in the narration.
Character Development
The process by which a character changes, grows, or reveals their personality over the course of a story. Narration often plays a key role in illustrating this evolution.
Example:
Observing how a timid protagonist gains courage throughout a quest illustrates significant character development.
First-Person Narration
The story is told from the perspective of a character within the narrative, using pronouns like 'I' or 'we.' This creates intimacy and direct access to the narrator's thoughts.
Example:
In 'The Catcher in the Rye,' Holden Caulfield's cynical observations are delivered through first-person narration, making his voice distinct and immediate.
Narrator's Reliability
Refers to the trustworthiness of the narrator's account of events and characters. An unreliable narrator may intentionally or unintentionally mislead the reader.
Example:
The shifting perspectives and conflicting accounts in 'Gone Girl' make the reader constantly question the narrator's reliability.
Objective Narration
The narrator acts as a neutral observer, presenting only actions and dialogue without revealing any characters' internal thoughts or feelings. This creates a detached, unbiased view.
Example:
A story that simply describes a character walking into a room and ordering coffee, without any insight into their mood or intentions, uses objective narration.
Point of View
The perspective from which a story is told, encompassing who is narrating and what information they have access to. It significantly shapes the reader's understanding.
Example:
Shifting the point of view from a child to an adult character in a story can drastically change the reader's understanding of the same events.
Stream-of-Consciousness Narration
This technique presents a character's continuous, often fragmented and non-linear, flow of thoughts, feelings, and memories. It aims to mirror the chaotic nature of human thought.
Example:
Reading Virginia Woolf's 'Mrs. Dalloway' feels like being inside Clarissa's mind, experiencing her jumbled thoughts and sensory impressions in a vivid stream-of-consciousness narration.
Theme
The central idea, message, or underlying meaning that a literary work explores. Narration can be instrumental in conveying and reinforcing these universal truths.
Example:
The recurring motif of isolation in a novel might contribute to the overarching theme of human loneliness.
Third-Person Limited Narration
The narrator is outside the story but focuses exclusively on the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of a single character. This offers a balance between intimacy and a broader perspective.
Example:
We understand Harry Potter's deepest fears and hopes, but not Voldemort's, because J.K. Rowling employs third-person limited narration centered on Harry.
Third-Person Omniscient Narration
The narrator is an all-knowing, outside observer who can reveal the thoughts, feelings, and motivations of all characters, as well as events across different times and places. This provides a comprehensive view of the story.
Example:
In 'Middlemarch,' the narrator provides a panoramic view of the town's inhabitants, delving into the minds of multiple characters, a hallmark of third-person omniscient narration.
Unreliable Narrator
A narrator whose credibility has been compromised, making their account of events questionable due to factors like mental instability, immaturity, or deliberate deception.
Example:
The narrator of Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart' is a classic example of an unreliable narrator, whose sanity is clearly in doubt.