|
The omniscient point of view is all
knowing. The author can take the reader all over town and in and out of every
single person’s head if she wants to. Omniscient point of view can be divided
into two categories; intrusive and neutral.
With intrusive third-person, the
narrator (the author) becomes a virtual character. She comments on events and
forces her head into the story whenever she feels like it. Many of the novels
written prior to the 20th century used this technique, but it has
fallen out of favor with most contemporary authors (Milan Kundera and Salman
Rushdie are exceptions). One reason this pov is not often used is because, as
writer Adam Sexton says, “intrusive omniscient point of view encourages
readerly passivity. It discourages readers from deducing truths about
characters, situations and the world.”
In the hands of a novice, this technique can also reduce the tension of
a story. Since all the character’s thoughts are apparent, there is less
(perceived) driving need for dramatic dialogue, action and misunderstanding.
Another side affect is that the
story is constantly interrupted and readers are reminded that what they are in
an artificial world. This artificiality tends to remind readers of the great
old-fashioned books that used this technique (Tom Jones, Silas Marner and
Tale of Two Cities). If you can’t replicate
the style and skill with which these books were written, then this resemblance
is probably not a good thing.
In the other type of omniscient, the
author does not play a role in the story. She does not judge or overtly comment
on characters and events. This makes it easier for the reader to maintain the
illusion of the world the author has created. However, for the reader to be
comfortable, the reader must know whose head they are inside. This can be very
difficult to maneuver, even for experienced writers. Sometimes A Great
Notion by Ken Kesey jumps from character to
character, sometimes switching point of view in the same sentence. It can be
very disconcerting. While Kesey’s beautiful writing and skilled
characterization make the novel worth reading, if a less skilled author used
the same technique, people would most likely refuse to read it.
Another difficulty inherent in this
pov is the need to constantly make decisions on what to tell and what not to
tell. Tony Morrison’s Beloved is built
around the mystery of one of the main character’s background. When her
characters talk about this mystery, she has to be careful to tell enough to
pique the reader’s interest, but not give away too much. The author has to
constantly make decisions on what to include and what to exclude.
The commonly given advice to novice
writers is to avoid the use of omniscient. While I disagree with the idea that
a writer should outright reject any type of point of view, you should approach
the omniscient pov cautiously, fully cognizant of all the possible downfalls of
this style.
|
