Narrating the story through the perspective of the main character is not the only way to tell a story. Sometimes it’s told from the author’s viewpoint. When this occurs, the author is writing in third-person point of view.
A specific kind of third-person point of view is “omniscient”, in which the author is an all-knowing, God-like narrator. Consider this example of third-person omniscient from R. Garcia y Robertson‘s short story “Oxygen Rising”:
“Hey, human, time to earn your pay!” Curled in a feline crouch, a silver comlink clipped to its furry ear, the SuperCat flashed Derek a toothy grin. Tawny fur showed through gaps in the bioconstruct’s body armor, and his oxygen bottle had a special nosepiece to accommodate the saber-tooth upper canines, huge curved fangs whose roots ran back to the eye sockets. This deep in the highlands of Harmonia, even homo smilodon needed bottled air. Cradling a recoilless assault cannon, the SuperCat had small use for ceremony, letting everyone call him Leo.
Derek grunted, getting paid being the least of his worries.
Notice how the story isn’t told by or from the perspective of Leo or Derek. Instead, we have a unique perspective, as if watching these two characters interact on a stage before us. But we’re doing much more than observing them. We are also able to get inside their heads, to know what both characters think and feel.
This trait is a major strength of a third-person omniscient point of view. It can reveal anything and everything about any of the characters – their perceptions, thoughts and observations. This is useful if no human viewpoint can encapsulate the story, as often is the case of science fiction stories that deal with aliens and artificial intelligences. The viewpoint also is excellent for humorous, satirical stories because the characters’ absurdity - which the main character wouldn’t notice - can be shown (though that’s not the reason Garcia y Robertson used it in the excerpted story).
In addition, third-person omniscient gives author more freedom than first-person point of views when developing a story. This is because he can change locations and use multiple viewpoints; first-person, of course, is limited to the main character’s perceptions, so only action that he is directly involved in can be shown.
Still, third-person omniscient has its drawbacks:
n It imposes distance between reader and the main character - Events in a story often gain a certain formality as narrator telling the story is ill-defined. An aloofness in the narrator also can create distance. After all, how could a god (the story’s narrator) ever exist man-to-man with the story’s main character?
n Dramatic tension can be more easily defused - When the story is told from the main character’s perspective, readers can more directly feel and relate to his stress and challenge. It’s like being told about the walk through a haunted house rather than actually going through one.
n Know-it-all voice can intrude on the narration - Like a backseat driver, some omniscient narrators are just darn irritating.
Knowing when to choose third-person rather than a first-person point of view is a matter of understanding what kind of story you want to tell. Each point of view has tradeoffs. If the story you want to tell best matches the advantages that a particular point of view offers, then go with that one.
You Do It
Write a 100-word piece in third-person omniscient (Stuck for a story idea? Describe a pilot trying to keep his spaceship from crashing into a busy spaceport). Now rewrite the piece in first-person (either limited or objective). How does the...
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Stories don’t have to be told only from the main character’s perspective. Indeed, the story’s author often narrates a story about a character rather be that persona. When this occurs, authors are writing in third-person point of view.
One type of third-person point of view is third-person limited. This is when the narrator tells the story only from the perspective of what the main character can observe and think, but unlike first-person limited, we also observe the main character through the author’s eyes.
Consider this excerpt from Brian Aldiss’ science fiction short story “Not For an Age”:
A bedspring groaned and pinged, mists cleared, Rodney Furnell awoke. From the bathroom next door came the crisp sound of shaving; his son was up. The bed next to his was empty; Valerie, his second wife, was up. Guiltily, Rodney also rose, and performed several timid exercises to flex his backbone. Youth! When it was going it had to be husbanded. He touched his toes.
Notice how we see events unfolding through the eyes of Rodney Furnell, the main character: waking up, the sounds around him, exercising. We do not see the world through the perspective of his son or his second wife. Further, the word "I" never would appear in the piece unless spoken by someone; that's because Rodney isn't telling the story - the author is. The author even offers a small comment, describing Rodney’s exercises as “timid” (certainly Rodney would not describe them as “timid”!).
Third-person limited offers several advantages, including:
n Giving the writer more flexibility than first-person point of view – If the story above were told only from Rodney’s point of view, the author could not offer his perspective on him. The audience no longer would be looking upon the stage that the main character acted but would be standing upon it in the main character’s body.
n Providing a less biased perspective - Stories told in first-person also carry the weight of the main character’s subjective views and perspectives. Sometimes this can make the protagonist less acceptable likeable to a reader who is more enlightened than that character. Third-person limited moves the reader to the usually more enlightened perspective of the author.
n Offering a clear sense of who the reader should identify with and invest in - Stories told only from the main character’s perspective sometimes don’t make that persona the hero but someone whose weaknesses cost him. The author’s insertions in third-person limited show readers how they should view the main character. Because of that, readers often like this point of view.
One danger of third-person limited, however, is that the reader loses a sense of intimacy with the main character. Rather than fully experience the universe with the main character, the reader can feel superior to him. If your goal is to have the reader relate to the main character, this may not be the best choice for your story’s point of view.
You Do It
Write a 250-word piece in third-person limited. How does selecting this point of view shape your approach to the main character? Would a first-person limited point of view work better for the story you wish to tell about this character?
Visit my Web site about writing science fiction, Inventing Reality.
(c) 2008 Rob Bignell
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