First of all, it's important that you understand what a narrative is. A narrative refers to a story, and the point of view from which the story was told. For example, if you and your friend went shopping, you would both tell the same story (narrative) about going shopping, but you would have different perspectives on the story because you are two different narrators (story tellers).
There are a number of different narrative styles which authors or other story tellers can use to convey a narrative. These include:
• First or third person narration
• Past or present tense
• Stream of consciousness narration
• Different voices
Here are the explanations of a few of these concepts. First or third person narration refers to the character from whom you are hearing the story from. For example, if the first sentence of a book was "I walked up the stairs", the author would be using a first person narrator. This is when the narrator is the person in direct communication with the audience, and you see the story from this person's point of view. If the author chooses a first person narrator, you will be given access to the narrator's innermost thoughts and feelings, as if you were inside their head. On the other hand, third person narration is when the narrator sits back and watches the action unfold. The actual narrator may never take part in the action - they just report what is happening, who it is happening to, why, where and when. You may see sentences like "John walked up the stairs."
Past or present narration depends on when the story is told. An author's narrator would be using the present tense if the action was happening now - you might see phrases like "John walks up the stairs", or "I am walking up the stairs". On the other hand, past tense narration is when the narrator recalls events that have already happened. This is sometimes called retrospect or hindsight. If the narrator is using the past tense, you may see phrases like "John walked up the stairs", or "I was walking up the stairs".
There are a number of different narrative styles which authors or other story tellers can use to convey a narrative. These include:
• First or third person narration
• Past or present tense
• Stream of consciousness narration
• Different voices
Here are the explanations of a few of these concepts. First or third person narration refers to the character from whom you are hearing the story from. For example, if the first sentence of a book was "I walked up the stairs", the author would be using a first person narrator. This is when the narrator is the person in direct communication with the audience, and you see the story from this person's point of view. If the author chooses a first person narrator, you will be given access to the narrator's innermost thoughts and feelings, as if you were inside their head. On the other hand, third person narration is when the narrator sits back and watches the action unfold. The actual narrator may never take part in the action - they just report what is happening, who it is happening to, why, where and when. You may see sentences like "John walked up the stairs."
Past or present narration depends on when the story is told. An author's narrator would be using the present tense if the action was happening now - you might see phrases like "John walks up the stairs", or "I am walking up the stairs". On the other hand, past tense narration is when the narrator recalls events that have already happened. This is sometimes called retrospect or hindsight. If the narrator is using the past tense, you may see phrases like "John walked up the stairs", or "I was walking up the stairs".
