Examples of Third Person Writing From Classic Fiction

Examples of Third partie Writing From Classic FictionExamples of Third Person Writing From Classic FictionIf youre still a little confused about what the third personwriting looks like in fiction, study these classic examples and examine how each author handles point of view. Examples of Third Person Writing From Classic Fiction Jane Austens clear prose provides a perfect sample of the third person. ThoughPride and Prejudiceare very much Elizabeth Bennets story, the narrator is not Elizabeth Bennet. I or we would only occur within quotations When Jane and Elizabeth were alone, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her sister how very much she admired him.He is just what a young man ought to be, said she, sensible, good humoured, lively and I never saw such happy manners so much ease, with such perfect good breedingHe is also handsome, replied Elizabeth, which a young man ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is ther eby complete. We can find a more recent example of the third person inJoseph HellersCatch-22. Again, though its Yossarians story, he isnt telling the story to us. Note thedialoguetags (e.g., he answered and Orr said.) In the third person, youll never see I said or we said. What are you doing? Yossarian asked guardedly when he entered the tent, although he saw at once.Theres a leak here, Orr said. Im trying to fix it.Please stop it, said Yossarian. Youre making me nervous.When I was a kid, Orr replied, I used to walk around all day with crab apples in my cheeks. One in each cheek.Yossarian put aside his musette bag from which he had begun removing his toilet articles and braced himself suspiciously. A minute passed. Why? he found himself forced to ask finally.Orr tittered triumphantly. Because theyre better than horse chestnuts, he answered. Finally, contrast these with thefirst-personexample fromMoby-Dick. In this case, the story is told by Ishmael, and he speaks directly to the rea der. Everything is from his perspective we can only see what he sees and what he tells us. Thedialogue tags, of course, vary between I said, when Ishmael is talking, and he answered, when the other person speaks. Landlord said I, what sort of chap is he does he always keep such late hours? It was now hard upon twelve oclock.The landlord chuckled again with his lean chuckle, and seemed to be mightily tickled at something beyond my comprehension. No, he answered, generally hes an early bird airley to bed and airley to rise yea, hes the bird what catches the worm. But to-night he went out a peddling, you see, and I dont see what on airth keeps him so late, unless, may be, he cant sell his head.Cant sell his head? What sort of a bamboozingly story is this you are telling me? getting into a towering rage. Do you pretend to say, landlord, that this harpooneer is actually engaged this blessed Saturday night, or rather Sunday morning, in peddling his head around this town? A trick to e nsure that you are consistently using third person narrative in a piece of fiction is to do a complete read-through only paying attention to the point of view.Remember that third person writing can be limited or omniscient.