1b. Narrators and Focalization

What are the primary types of narrators based on their relationship to the story?

1. First-Person: Participant in the story ("I"). 2. Third-Person Omniscient: All-knowing outsider. 3. Third-Person Limited: Outsider attached to one character. 4. Third-Person Objective: Neutral observer ("Camera").

What are the three types of focalization defined by Genette?

1. Zero Focalization: Narrator knows more than characters.

2. Internal Focalization: Narrator knows what the character knows.

3. External Focalization: Narrator knows less than the character.

How does First-Person narration function?

The narrator is a character within the diegesis (story world) telling their own story or what they witnessed, usually resulting in internal focalization.

What is the defining characteristic of Third-Person Omniscient narration?

The narrator has total knowledge of all characters' thoughts, the past, the future, and events happening simultaneously in different places.

What is the defining characteristic of Third-Person Limited narration?

The narrator is outside the story but stays confined to the perspective and consciousness of a single character.

What is the defining characteristic of Third-Person Objective narration?

The narrator acts as a detached observer, reporting only external actions and dialogue without interpreting or entering any character's mind.

How does Internal Focalization restrict the reader's perspective?

The reader is confined to the "filter" of one character's senses and knowledge; we don't know what happens behind their back or in other people's heads.

How does External Focalization differ from Internal Focalization?

Internal shows the "inside" (thoughts/feelings), while External only shows the "outside" (behavior/speech), leaving the character's inner life a mystery to the reader.

What is Zero Focalization typically associated with?

Third-Person Omniscient narrators who provide a "bird's-eye view" of the narrative, often shifting between different times and locations seamlessly.

What are the three sub-types of Internal Focalization?

1. Fixed: One character for the whole story.

2. Variable: Different characters for different scenes.

3. Multiple: The same event seen through several characters' eyes.

Why is the distinction between "Who Speaks" and "Who Sees" necessary?

Because a narrator (who speaks) can be a distant voice while the focalizer (who sees) is a specific character, meaning the "voice" isn't necessarily the "perspective."

What happens to information in External Focalization?

Information is withheld. The narrator acts as a witness who cannot read minds, creating a sense of "objective" distance or cinematic styling.