Narrators
English Language: Edexcel IGCSE - Specification B, topic 3.1.1
Narrative Voice
The narrative voice is the tone of the piece. The narrative voice might come from a character or from an omniscient narrator. You should focus on the language devices the narrator uses to assess their tone.
First or third person
- A first-person narrator will offer their own personal interpretation of events. A reader is likely to see the world through the narrator's eyes. First-person narrators will use phrases like 'I ran', 'I thought' and 'I saw'.
- A third-person narrator will either follow a key character or tell events from a neutral perspective that knows about all the events happening in different places in the story. A third-person narrator tells the story rather than being part of the story.
Reading a narrator's tone
- You should study the language devices used by the narrator to assess their tone and how to interpret the characters in the story.
- For example:
- If the narrator uses negative adjectives to describe a character in the story, they probably have a bad opinion of that character. This suggests we are not supposed to like this character.
- If the narrator uses a sarcastic tone to describe a character, they probably do not take the character seriously. This suggests we should not take the character seriously either.
Test yourself on Narrators
Who might the narrative voice come from?
What type of narrator does Dickens use in A Christmas Carol?
'Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner.'