Third Person Point of View: Definition, Types and Tips!

Third-Person Point of View

The third-person point of view is a powerful narrative perspective that gives the author flexibility to shift among different characters and settings, and explore events from a broader, external viewpoint.

Let’s take a closer look at this dynamic perspective, examine the three different types of third-person point of view, and go over some examples and tips for how to effectively employ this narrative style.

 

What Is Third-Person Point of View?

There are three main narrative perspectives in writing:

• First-person point of view: Limits the reader to the internal thoughts and narrative voice of a single character, usually the protagonist or main character. It uses first-person pronouns like “I” and “my.”
• Second-person point of view: Limits the author to addressing the reader, using second-person pronouns like “you” and “your.”
• Third-person perspective: Can give the author boundless freedom to tell the story. This perspective uses names and third-person pronouns like “he/she” and “they.”

 

The Different Types of Third-Person Point of View

Authors who write in third-person perspective can choose to limit the viewpoint to a single character’s perspective, switch among different points of view, or narrate the story objectively.

Each type shifts the depth of insight into the characters and the level of narrative distance.

 

Third-Person Limited Point of View

This type of third-person point of view, also known as close third, tells the story from inside a single character’s head. The reader’s insight is limited to the knowledge, feelings, and thoughts of that character as they follow them through the story.

This offers a deep look into that character’s internal world, limited to what they know or perceive, which the author can use to effectively build tension.

However, third-person limited differs from first-person perspective in that the narrator is outside of the story, uses third-person pronouns to describe the character, and can maintain a degree of distance from the character while filtering the narrative through the character’s voice.

It’s important to remember that the point-of-view character isn’t necessarily the protagonist. In The Great Gatsby, the story is told from the perspective of Nick Carroway, and everything the reader learns about the protagonist Jay Gatsby is filtered through him.

Example: “Fingers trembling, he spun the wheel of the bicycle lock, continually missing the numbers and starting over as he glanced over his shoulder, watching for the glint of eyeshine from the sewer drain.”

 

Third-Person Omniscient Point of View

This type of third-person point of view allows the reader to experience the story while remaining independent of any one character’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. They’re free to roam around, privy to any information the author chooses to disclose.

The author can give the reader insight into the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of all of the characters, or select a few.

This usually offers the widest perspective, since the narrator is not tied to a character and instead has a godlike view of events. They have unlimited access to characters’ private thoughts and feelings, and know the characters’ past, present, and future. However, the author can still choose which information to divulge and when.

Even if the narrator is omniscient, the reader doesn’t need to be. The author can hold back and reveal information strategically to build tension and make the story more interesting.

However, it’s important to avoid “head hopping,” where the perspective confusingly jumps around among the characters, often within a scene or even within a paragraph. This is because it’s confusing and illogical to “hear” multiple streams of thought at once. Limiting perspective shifts to chapter or scene breaks allows the reader to follow a single character throughout the scene or chapter without jarring or disorienting shifts in perspective.

While an omniscient narrator is not tied to any specific character, that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own opinions. The narrator may interject with their own observations or wisecracks (common in comedic writing), and have no problem revealing the workings of characters’ minds – even beyond what the characters know about themselves.

Example: “He unlocked his bicycle, nervously fumbling with the combination and glancing around for watching eyes, unaware that the hideous creature would emerge not from the sewer drain but from the overturned car across the street.”

 

Third-Person Objective Point of View

While the narrator can jump from character to character, in the third-person objective point of view they generally have no partiality in the events taking place. The narrator relays solely the visible facts of the matter. They will not delve into the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters – remaining, instead, as a wholly impartial observer who is only capable of relaying what they observe.

This type allows the story to have objective narration without the biases and beliefs of the narrator or the characters, which would make the story unreliable.

A famous example of this type of perspective is Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.”

Due to the lack of insight into the characters’ minds and the opinions of the narrator, this type of perspective places increased importance on body language to tell the story.

Example: “He spun the wheel on the bicycle lock, fumbling with the combination. He looked over his shoulder before turning back to finish unlocking it.”

 

What Are Examples of Third-Person Point of View?

Imagine your protagonist has been in an accident and is experiencing amnesia. Telling their story using a first-person narrative would limit the reader’s knowledge of that character’s past life to the few things they remember. They would learn more as the character discovers pieces of their past and puts them together.

While you could still limit the reader’s knowledge while writing from a third-person point of view, you could also describe other characters’ feelings about the amnesiac and reveal pieces of their past to the reader that the character hasn’t reassembled yet.

You could show conversations between characters that occur while the protagonist is out of the room or in a coma, letting the reader discover more about the afflicted character’s history independent of their journey of re-acquiring that knowledge.

Also, if you do it with skill and purpose, you can use third-person perspective to break the rules in creative and memorable ways that serve the story. For example, in The Revenant by Michael Punke, the author breaks away from the human characters to focus a chapter on an inanimate object – a tree growing on a cliff face. This decision brings texture and depth to a story set primarily in the unforgiving wilderness.

In your own writing, if you have a story set in New York and need a time jump, instead of telling the reader you’ve skipped ahead a year, you could show the passage of time by focusing on a tree changing its leaves in Central Park or the gradual construction of a new skyscraper.

 

When to Break the Rules

In the Harry Potter series, the perspective is limited to Harry’s point of view. As a result, the reader misses out on seeing many exciting events in the Wizarding World but instead learns about them later through conversations Harry is involved in or overhears. This is telling rather than showing, and it’s best avoided.

To give herself more narrative freedom, J.K. Rowling occasionally broke the focus on Harry during Quidditch matches and to reveal important information in the first chapters of a few of the novels – Goblet of Fire, Half-Blood Prince, and Deathly Hallows.

In most things, if you understand the rules, you can break them effectively. The English language and the rules of composition are no different. While these types of perspectives may seem well-defined and restrictive, a skilled writer understands that they don’t have to be exclusive.

Think of your third-person narrative like a camera in a movie. Sometimes, for better effect, you need to get up close. On the other hand, sometimes you need more distance.

If you’re writing in third-person limited but find yourself slipping into third-person omniscient – if your “camera” is sliding away and you’re trying to keep it close – take a step back and think about what impression you want your reader to have of the scene.

Is it emotional? Action-driven? Do you need to relate a backstory where a flashback would be more effective than a long narration from your character or an omniscient info-dump?

As third-person is so flexible, it lends itself very well to mixing with other perspectives. Charles Dickens wrote in alternating first and third-person POV in Bleak House, which is a strong approach when your third-person narration remains strictly objective. Many romance and young adult novels use a different character for their third-person focus in each chapter.

The most vital thing is consistency – without it, your story can become a jumbled mess. It’s also important that the reader understands that your narrative shifts are intentional and purposeful. If you start a scene or chapter from the perspective of a specific character, with your “camera” at a specific distance, it’s best to maintain it until the next scene or chapter break.

 

Final Thoughts

Writing in the third-person point of view is a complex, dynamic, and forgiving technique that suits any skill level from beginner to advanced, and can handle the most complex narrative requirements. It works in long-form fiction, short stories, and narrative nonfiction works. Because of this, it is easy to master relatively quickly, allowing your best ideas to get off the ground with a minimum of fuss.

No matter which perspective you choose to write in, AutoCrit courses can help you tell your story.