Today’s video dives into a less frequented corner of narrative perspective: the third-person objective.
This is the fly-on-the-wall point of view, capturing the world from a removed standpoint. While it’s rare and brings a unique sense of distance that might seem counterintuitive for developing relatable characters, there are instances when it serves a powerful purpose.
It’s a challenge, but one that can yield rich storytelling rewards in the right situations.
Hello, Jane Cleland here.
When is it appropriate to use third-person objective? The third-person objective point of view is unusual. It’s not used very often. It’s considered a fly on the wall. So there is a distance that most writers don’t want to implement. We want our characters to be relatable to readers. We don’t want them looking at the world through this arm’s length distance.
An example of where it was done, and most readers consider this quite successful, is Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants,” where you have two people talking around a subject, never actually addressing the elephant in the room.
It’s hard to do. And think about it, to decide that you want that distance. If you decide to go with it, I’m confident you can do it well.
If this tip had value for you, would you do something for me? Would you like it, share it? Would you subscribe?
That opens up features that let us improve the video experience for you.
Thanks so much.
*Transcripts are software-generated. To report any transcription errors, please use my contact form!
