Narrative Voice and Perspective

One of the most important decisions a writer makes is who tells the story and how it is told. Narrative voice shapes everything: what the reader knows, how they feel about characters, and how they interpret events. At A-Level, you must be able to identify different types of narration and, crucially, explain their effects.

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Types of Narrative Voice

First Person

The narrator is a character within the story, using "I" and "we." The reader sees events through this character's eyes and is limited to their knowledge and perspective.

Advantages	Limitations
Creates intimacy and immediacy	Limited perspective — we only know what the narrator knows
Allows direct access to thoughts and feelings	May be biased or unreliable
Reader identifies closely with the narrator	Cannot show other characters' inner thoughts directly

Example: In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the first-person narration creates a powerful sense of Jane's inner life. The famous direct address — "Reader, I married him" — breaks the fourth wall and draws the reader into an intimate, confiding relationship with the narrator.

Second Person