Types of Narration

omniscient narrator

all-knowing narrator who is not a character in the story and who can move from place to place and pass abck and forth through time, slipping into and out of characters as no human being possibly could in real life

neutral omniscience

narration that allows the characters' actions and thoughts to speak for themselves

naïve narrators

narrators that are usually characterized by youthful innocence

limited omniscience

occurs when an author restricts a narrator to the single perspective of either a major or minor character

editorial omniscience

refers to an intrusion by that narrator in order to evaluate a character for a reader

first-person narrator

the "I" in the story represents the point of view of only one character. the reader is restricted to the thoughts, perceptions, and feelings of that single character

unreliable narrator

this narrator reveals an interpretation of evens that is somehow different from the author's own interpretation of those events