Each of the stories we read, hear or write is told by a narrator.
In reading exercises, as well as in writing experiences, the concern with the narrator is fundamental.
Roughly speaking, we can distinguish three types of narrator, that is, three types of narrative focus:
- narrator character;
- narrator-observer;
- omniscient narrator.
O narrator character tells in the 1st person the story in which he also participates as a character.
It has an intimate relationship with the other elements of the narrative. His way of telling is strongly marked by subjective, emotional characteristics. This proximity to the narrated world reveals facts and situations that an outside narrator could not know. At the same time, this same proximity makes the narrative partial, permeated by the narrator's point of view.
O narrator-observer tells the story outside, in the 3rd person, without participating in the actions. He knows all the facts and, as he does not participate in them, he narrates with a certain neutrality, presents the facts and characters impartially. It has no intimate knowledge of the characters or the actions experienced.
O omniscient narrator tells the story in 3rd person and sometimes allows certain intrusions narrating in 1st person. He knows everything about the characters and the plot, he knows what goes on inside the characters, he knows their emotions and thoughts.
He is able to reveal his inner voices, his stream of consciousness, in 1st person. When this happens, the narrator makes use of free indirect speech. Thus, the plot becomes fully known, the antecedents of the actions, their subtext, their presuppositions, their future and their consequences.
By Marina Cabral
Specialist in Portuguese Language and Literature
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/redacao/narracao-tipos-narrador.htm
