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I was wondering when we’ll talk about points of view. I decided to alter my piece from first person to third person and I am excited to spruce up something awesome! Anyway, LaPlante’s chapter 6 provides details of the three types of point of views and the varieties of each. It was interesting to read the bit about second person point of view as having 4 different types of “you’s,” like talking to the character (like his/her conscious talking to him/her) or an inverted first person. It seems like the inverted first-person view is like a “talk down” to yourself, like regrets and such. My notion of second person point of view reminds me of interactive stories where you pick your path that eventually leads to certain consequences and multiple endings (like a game). And then the ways third person point of view works, mostly the idea of distance. That’s something new that I hadn’t heard of. The chapter gave me some tips to go about working on my now third person version of my story.
ReplyDeleteAs for “The Lady With the Little Dog,” that is some good use of third person limited and a damn good read! This is a great example of sticking with the thoughts and feelings of Dmitri and see very little of Anna. Gosh, love that metaphor of their love, two birds stuck in two separate bird cages! Ah! So good! And the feeling of being so stuck and being unhappy. This relationship was a flip side of seeing a young girl marrying someone older than him, much like how Dmitri did. Rather odd that he would do the same, only with the barrier of being both married to someone (and the other having kids). And then the building tension and excitement when he arrives to the city where Anna lives and waiting and waiting, wanting to see Anna, getting annoyed and frustrated by those stupid fences! I enjoyed the reading, even though it was a lengthy one.
Hector Dimas
Chapter 6 basically goes over each separate point of view (first, second, and third) and tells aspiring writers of all sorts, how to use them properly to create a well written story.
ReplyDeleteI personally have grown interested in limited third person point of view since it keeps things interesting in the eyes of the reader by only giving out just enough information that is important to the story. Speaking of limited third person narratives, When I was reading "The Lady with the Little Dog" I had at first believed it to be a regular third person point of view, but after reading chapter 6 it became clear that that was only slightly true. As the narrator describes Gurov we only ever learn about him, what he does, and what goes on around him, never do we learn of anyone else’s separate adventures(such as Anna’s life after the affair) or how they feel emotionally, which is interesting to say the least.
In the end, this chapter was pretty helpful to me since I had been struggling with the decision of deciding what point of view my short story should be in. And before I had read the chapter, I actually didn’t realize that their was a separate form of third person narrative, which could be used to semi-simulate first person narrative at times. I may steer far away from 2nd person point of view out of personal lack of interest, but I do want to try and utilize limited third person point of view in my own short story.
-Kathleen m. Salinas
LaPlante in chapter six, “Who’s Telling This Story?” discusses the differences between point of view, how each differ and the distance between points of view, first person, second person and third person point of view. How each of them have different types of point of view within each category. For example, second person can be both a person talking about his or herself in a detached manner or writing a piece with you instead of I (first person) or he/she (third person). She mentions that second person does not work well with longer pieces. The story, “The Lady with the Little Dog” by Anton Chekhov is about a love affair. Gurov is a married man who indulges in extramarital activities constantly, in other words a womanizer; he refers to them as “An inferior race!” He eventually meets a women whom he thinks is just a past time and eventually comes to fall in love with her and she too falls for him while being married and so they begin their affair. This story is an example of third person limited. We follow Gurov and how he feels for Anna. We never see into her thoughts or emotions unless she vocalizes them herself.
ReplyDeleteAlejandra Rodriguez
In chapter 6 "Who's Telling This Story?", I didn't really know the difference between narrator and author when it comes to writing in either fiction or nonfiction. First person was already a given which is usually read as "I" in the story, the reader can actually feel as if they are a character in the story. When writing in second person, I didn't realize how complex it could be which is why it is hardly ever used, but La Plante provides three story excerpts to show how second person narrative is used. Moving onto third-person which is personally my go-to p.o.v, can be used in two ways. Omniscient (Godlike) and Direct Observer (Fly on Wall) which I didn't know a scale had existed for this type of narrative. La Plante defines how both can be used in fiction, as one serves to "know all and sees all" where as the other is "someone whose knowledge has been limited in some way...might only be able to see what one character is thinking or feeling" (limited third person).
ReplyDeleteIn "The Lady with the Little Dog", I felt that it followed third person limited because we are able to read Dmitri's thoughts and feelings towards Anna, however not so much Anna's emotions unless she said them aloud, example: page 212. I think the story's main character was based on Dmitri's feelings towards women, especially Anna ever since he came across her in Yalta. The storyline had to deal more with his emotions and inner thoughts as opposed to Anna's. I as well enjoyed reading the figurative language on page 211, "Her features drooped and faded...she sat pondering in a dejected pose, like the sinful woman in an old painting". The line itself provides the reader a better glimpse of who she is as a person and woman.
-Illiana Luna
I enjoyed the way LaPlante covers different sections and details to each point of view. It feels like she’s going through the vast majority of the possibilities in the spectrum of point of views. She also eliminates some of the false assumptions writers tend to conform to. One of my favorite paragraphs in this chapter was in page 199, “… third person narrators: think of it as standing in a house that boarders a big open field.” I tend to favor a third person point of view in my stories, but sometimes I feel as if I’m not really following the rules. This analogy, and how she goes to explain it, helped me fully understand it.
ReplyDeleteThe way Chekhov portrayed Dmitri’s character should have made me detest him. He is unfaithful to his wife and sexist to all women, yet throughout the story I could sympathize with him and his struggles without much difficulty. Chekhov depicts his emotions so vividly and as a reader I felt like that helped me connect with the character despite his flaws. We also see that Dmitri is a round character because even though he is established as the cliché heartless adulterer, in the end he is a completely different person with genuine feelings towards a woman.
Diana Gonzalez
I’ve never fully delved into the details of point of view until this chapter. In my head I knew: first, second, third (omniscient/limited). And that was that. I hadn't considered there to be more options within the options. Generally opting for first person narration- a juvenile impulse to tell an individual's tale, first hand. Not realizing how limiting it can be. Reading Chapter 6, I found “Shifts in Narrative Distance”, most interesting as it's something I have trouble with when dabbling in third person point of view. I never know how much I can and can't reveal- overthinking how a story can possibly be told in such a way, so it becomes awkward and jumbled.
ReplyDeleteAnton Chekhov's The Lady with the Little Dog, seemed to dance in and out of distances with ease, undetectable; we are given Gurov’s thoughts, written as dialogue, but never Anna's- glimpses into his past. Of his affairs and the difference between them and the one he is currently rallying to protect. We get to peer into his beliefs and motives behind what he does, but if the story were to be written in first person, with Gurov as narrator, I don't think it would have the same effect.
Robin Turrubiates
In chapter six, LaPlante discusses what a narrator is as well as the different points of view. She even goes further and describes the different types of subclasses in concern to point of view. I like how she treats third person as a sort of scale which can go from the absolute, god-like omniscient to the detached fly on the wall. Since I personally prefer writing in a third person limited, I tend to struggle with keeping myself to only one character since that was what I was taught. Now that LaPlante gives examples of the limited jumping around, I feel confident to use that sorta jumping technique in my writing. I think it's also important to see how she talks about distance when it comes to the narration in fiction.
ReplyDeleteIn Anton Chekhov's "The Lady with the Little Dog," the readers get to see the author use pov to take a sexist and unfaithful character but allow us to feel sympathetic towards him through Chekhov's use of distance. Being able to understand Dmitri's emotions, helped me to connect to him despite him being a cheater and having very obvious flaws.
- Georginia Ramos
Chapter six explores the world and meanings of point of view and how to incorporate it into our writing. First, LaPlante addresses first person, which she describes as the most popular one. Second point of view is described as the more complex and less common. She explains that it is complicated to use because the writer runs the risk of overusing the word, “you.” Finally third person is defined as the most complex POV due to the fact that the narrator is disconnected from the characters in the story, merely reporting to the audience. The writer holds the choice to act like a 'fly on the wall’ and report only what is seen, or 'godlike,’ in which someone writes including the thoughts and backgrounds of characters.
ReplyDeleteThe Lady with the Little Dog best exemplifies the author's writing abilities. Feelings and emotions seep through the lines as the story progresses. Vivid language is widely used throughout the piece as well. “Yalta was barely visible through the morning mist, white clouds stood motionless on the mountaintops (212).” Sentences like those bring the story to life. Also his ability to use third person in this story is also pretty good. He narrows down on each character explains the growing relationship between the two.
Pedro Trevino