The 6 types of narrators, and how they are used in literature.

We look at the different categories of narrators and examples of several of them in real books.

When telling stories, whether real or fictional, it is not only important what the world being described and the events that occur in it are like. The way in which the narrator is used is also crucial, even when he or she does not seem to be part of the story itself.

In this article we will see what are the main types of narrators in different works of literature that tell stories, and how choosing one or the other has an effect on the psychological impact of these works.

The different types of storytellers, and their characteristics.

Human beings are characterized, among other things, by creating stories, narratives. These stories go far beyond the world of entertainment, as one might think if one were to focus only on best-selling novels when considering the concept of literature. They offer a way of interpreting reality.

So, stopping to learn more about what are the main types of narrator is not a frivolity, since this choice is part of the creative process of explaining something. Each of them gives a different whole to the story. Let's see a classification of these categories when narrating, going from first-person narrators to second-person narrators and, finally, to third-person narrators.

1. First-person narrator

This type of narrator is very common, and serves to give a realistic and experiential tone to the story being told. It is assumed that the person telling us the story was there when it all happenedThe universe in which the story takes place is assumed to be the same universe in which the narrator is in the present, so it is subject to the same rules, approximately.

In addition, the fact that everything is narrated in the first person allows us to have more information about this character, who, although not necessarily the protagonist, is usually important in the story, even if it is to help build the rest of the characters through the interaction of the first with the second, seeing how their personalities affect each other..

In turn, this category can be divided into other types of narrators. They are the following.

1.1. Witness narrator

In these cases, the character who plays the role of narrator is not the protagonist, but a person close to the protagonist and who attends the main events that articulate the story.

It is a type of narrator very useful when we want to show the protagonist's personality, as well as his personal evolution and hisIt is a very useful type of narrator when you want to show the personality of the protagonist, as well as his personal evolution and narrative arc, in a subtle way, suggesting rather than describing in a direct way, since you do not have access to the real thoughts of that character. However, it is also possible to adopt a more impersonal style, as if everything were composed of reports.

Examples of this type of narrator are John Watson in the Sherlock Holmes novels or Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby.

1.2. Protagonist narrator

This is probably the most popular and widely used type of first-person narrator, as it is also one of the most intuitive and simple: the story is explained from the point of view of the person who must go through the main plot arc of the story, as we would do in real life if we were explaining something that has happened to us..

However, when using this resource it is possible to use many nuances. For example, narrating by talking about what is happening in the present allows the audience to be immersed in the story.

1.3. Stream-of-thought narrator

This is a very rarely used type of narrator, as it attempts to describe someone's thoughts literally, as they emerge into consciousness. Consequently, everything is explained in real time, with the present being the moment of reference.

The different narrators of The Noise and the Furyby William Faulkner, are an example of this.

2. Second person narrator

This type of narrator is characterized by explaining a story to a specific person. It can be presented in epistolary format, as if everything were composed of letters addressed to an addressee, or as if it were an actual dialogue in which basically one person speaks and the other listens, sometimes pretending to answer questions posed by the listener..

3. Third person narrator

Finally, in the third-person narrator, the one who explains the story is characterized by not participating at all, or participating as little as possible, in the course of the story.. It can be divided into two categories.

Omniscient narrator

One of the most common types of narrators. It is spoken from the point of view of an entity totally alien to the plane of reality in which everything that is being explained occurs, as if it were a kind of god that has access to all information at once, even to the mental states of all the charactersin a direct way.

It should be noted that although one can reliably describe what each character thinks and feels, for reasons of coherence and narrative quality, one avoids moving from one mind to another in a chaotic way, and instead chooses to focus on one character and what happens around him or her.

The novel Breakfast of Championsby Kurt Vonnegut, for example, combines this type of narration with that of the eyewitness narrator. Something similar occurs in Nieblaby Miguel de Unamuno.

3.2. Observer narrator

It is similar to the previous one, but in this case you do not have direct access to all the information about what is happening. However, the narrator is involved as little as possible in what is happening, the narrator is involved as little as possible in what is happening, both physically and psychologically.both physically and psychologically. He tries to be neutral and objective.