1. Narrator
Taken from: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yYXWIQge6hQ/TyDLik6tbRI/AAAAAAAABJ4/0SVT_RkjKWQ/s640/
ETHAN_FROME_274.jpg

2. Who tells the story?
Taken from: http://www.waynejune.com/images/waynejune1.jpg

3. Who tells the story?
• The author is the person
Taken from: http://www.waynejune.com/images/waynejune1.jpg
who has written the story. In
our case that is Edith Wharton.

4. Who tells the story?
• The author is the person
Taken from: http://www.waynejune.com/images/waynejune1.jpg
who has written the story. In
our case that is Edith Wharton.
• The narrator, however, is
the often fictive person who
tells the story in the story. It is
so to speak the novella‘s
voice.

5. Stop and think
Source: http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Ethan-Frome.jpg

6. Frome?
• Who tells the story in Ethan
Stop and think
Source: http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Ethan-Frome.jpg

7. Stop and think
Source: http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Ethan-Frome.jpg
• Who tells the story in Ethan
Frome?
• Is there only one narrator or
more?

8. Stop and think
Source: http://fivealarmbookreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Ethan-Frome.jpg
• Who tells the story in Ethan
Frome?
• Is there only one narrator or
more?
• What do you know about
the narrator?

9. There are different types
of narrators
• First-person narrator : Either the protagonist (=
the main character in the story) or one of the minor
characters tells the story. The narrator uses pronouns
like I, we, me etc. First-person narrators can only
present things which they see, hear, feel, know and think.
Therefore the narrative is often subjective. And because
one character cannot know everything, the point of view
will be limited.

11. • Third-person narrator: If the narrator is not a character
in the story, we talk about a third-person narrator. The
narrator will then use pronouns like he, she or they. The
point of view may be more objective than for a first-person
narrator, but it still presents the reader with a selective
perspective, and often also with the narrator‘s comments and
judgements.

12. • Third-person narrator: If the narrator is not a character
in the story, we talk about a third-person narrator. The
narrator will then use pronouns like he, she or they. The
point of view may be more objective than for a first-person
narrator, but it still presents the reader with a selective
perspective, and often also with the narrator‘s comments and
judgements.
• A third-person narrator who knows everything that is
happening in different places, at the same time and even
inside the characters‘ minds is called omniscient. His or
her knowledge of the story is unlimited. It is also possible
that a third person narrator has a limited point of view,
so that they cannot see into the minds of some of the
characters in the story.

13. Point of view
Source: http://lazytechguys.zippykidcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/writing-with-quill1.jpg
• The perspective from
which a narrator tells the
story is called point of
view. Readers of a
story ,see through the eyes‘
of the narrator. As we have
already seen the narrator‘s
perspective can be
omniscient - seeing
everything, or limited.

14. different story
Stop and Think
a different perspective can make a
Source: http://www.tjohnsonmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Perspective.jpg

15. Stop and Think
a different perspective can make a
different story
• Imagine that two of your friends
Source: http://www.tjohnsonmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Perspective.jpg
have been out shopping
together. They both want to tell
you about their experience. Will
their stories be exactly the same?
Probably not. Can you think
why that is?

16. Stop and Think
a different perspective can make a
different story
• Imagine that two of your friends
Source: http://www.tjohnsonmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Perspective.jpg
have been out shopping
together. They both want to tell
you about their experience. Will
their stories be exactly the same?
Probably not. Can you think
why that is?
• In the same way a story might
be completely different if it is
told from a different
perspective, or by a different
narrator.

17. Reliable or unreliable
narrator?
RELIABLE
NARRATOR
UNRELIABLE
NARRATOR

18. Reliable or unreliable
narrator?
• If friends of yours tell you about
something that happened to them,
do you automatically believe them,
or does it depend...? RELIABLE
NARRATOR
UNRELIABLE
NARRATOR

19. Reliable or unreliable
narrator?
• If friends of yours tell you about
something that happened to them,
do you automatically believe them,
or does it depend...? RELIABLE
NARRATOR
• For stories, it is the same thing.
Depending on what we read, we UNRELIABLE
may believe it is true or not.
NARRATOR
Authors sometimes play with this
aspect, and you need to be a good
reader to understand all the
subtleties and to find out what the
author really wants to tell us.

20. RELIABLE OR
UNRELIABLE NARRATOR

21. RELIABLE OR
UNRELIABLE NARRATOR
• A realiable narrator would tell you a story we
can believe is true.

22. RELIABLE OR
UNRELIABLE NARRATOR
• A realiable narrator would tell you a story we
can believe is true.
• An unreliable narrator typically shows us
characteristics or tendencies that are more difficult
to believe or understand. For some reason, an
unreliable narrator gives the reader either
incomplete or inaccurate information.

23. Obtrusive and
unobtrusive narrator

24. Obtrusive and
unobtrusive narrator
• An obtrusive narrator gives commentary and
evaluates.

25. Obtrusive and
unobtrusive narrator
• An obtrusive narrator gives commentary and
evaluates.
• An unobtrusive narrator would describe the
events or the characters without much
commentary.

26. Narrator - a review

27. Narrator - a review
• So now you have learnt a lot of words to talk about the narrator in a
story. Here are all the terms again. Can you understand them all
now? Otherwise please turn to your teacher for help.

28. Narrator - a review
• So now you have learnt a lot of words to talk about the narrator in a
story. Here are all the terms again. Can you understand them all
now? Otherwise please turn to your teacher for help.
• First-person and third-person narrator

29. Narrator - a review
• So now you have learnt a lot of words to talk about the narrator in a
story. Here are all the terms again. Can you understand them all
now? Otherwise please turn to your teacher for help.
• First-person and third-person narrator
• Subjective or objective narrator

30. Narrator - a review
• So now you have learnt a lot of words to talk about the narrator in a
story. Here are all the terms again. Can you understand them all
now? Otherwise please turn to your teacher for help.
• First-person and third-person narrator
• Subjective or objective narrator
• A limited or an unlimited point of view

31. Narrator - a review
• So now you have learnt a lot of words to talk about the narrator in a
story. Here are all the terms again. Can you understand them all
now? Otherwise please turn to your teacher for help.
• First-person and third-person narrator
• Subjective or objective narrator
• A limited or an unlimited point of view
• An omniscient narrator

32. Narrator - a review
• So now you have learnt a lot of words to talk about the narrator in a
story. Here are all the terms again. Can you understand them all
now? Otherwise please turn to your teacher for help.
• First-person and third-person narrator
• Subjective or objective narrator
• A limited or an unlimited point of view
• An omniscient narrator
• A reliable or unreliable narrator

33. Narrator - a review
• So now you have learnt a lot of words to talk about the narrator in a
story. Here are all the terms again. Can you understand them all
now? Otherwise please turn to your teacher for help.
• First-person and third-person narrator
• Subjective or objective narrator
• A limited or an unlimited point of view
• An omniscient narrator
• A reliable or unreliable narrator
• An obtrusive or unobtrusive narrator