Point of View

Point of View, often also POV is the perspective from which a story is told. There are four types of point of view.
==First Person==
In narrative with first person point of view, the narrator is part of the cast. First person narrative is supposed to give the appearance of a first hand account of events. 
For example: I went to visit my friend, Kyle, so I could get help with my Math homework.
==Second Person==
In second person, the story is told to you, the reader, and you are supposed to be the character to whom all the events are happening.
For example: You went to visit your friend, Kyle, so you could get help with your Math homework.
Second Person narrative is mainly used in choose your own adventure stories, but rarely outside that due to its limiting nature.
==Third Person Limited==
The narrator is not part of the story, but tells the story from the perspective of one member of the cast. The narrator only relates what this person is thinking and feeling, and is as oblivious as the character him/herself about what others are thinking.
For example: Stan went to visit his friend, Kyle, because he needed help with his Math homework.
This perspective is often used in fiction in the form of multiple third person limited. In that case, the author has chosen for each scene the perspective of the character for whom the scene is most meaningful.
==Third Person Omniscient==
In third person omniscient, the narrator knows everything about all the characters. It allows them to show what everyone is thinking and feeling and to foreshadow and comment on events. This perspective was very popular until the second half of the 20th century. It is not much used in modern literature.
For example: Stan went to visit his friend, Kyle, because he needed help with his Math homework. But Kyle was also struggling with the assignment
==Third Person Detached==
The narrator is not a character within the work, and may not be a character at all. Instead, the narrative confines itself to visible acts rather than thoughts, and views the action from a perspective that may not be visible to any characters or group of characters. This is most common in screenplays, but can also be an effective part of works where a professional tone is important, historical records, and after-action reports. Because this mode is capable of providing interpretations of actions in prose, but does not always do so, it is sometimes used in comedies and parodies. It is fairly rare.
For example: Stan left to visit Kyle.
Category:Terminology