Jumps between First Person and Third Person

icerose · Mar 27, 2007

Dang do I hate it!

I'm reading Intrigue, first book in The Blending Enthroned.

The author who writes it is an excellent writer. She has well rounded characters, excellent dialog, a plot that is thick and interwoven, has a good backstory to prop up on.

But then she goes and switches between third person and first person on various chapters and doesn't even stay consistent within the same group that she is first person on. It's annoying as can be! If the story were any less well done I would have thrown it across the room.

Why on earth would a writer choose to do this?

JustinThorne · Mar 27, 2007

You'd hate Jeff Vandermeer... he switches between 1st, 3rd and even 2nd and then adopts an academic style, complete with fictional references.

I like that style.

giftedrhonda · Mar 27, 2007

Some writers don't want to write the whole thing in first person when having multiple POVs (in a way, I can understand--if your narrative voices aren't distinct enough, they can all sound alike, and the reader can have a difficult time remember whose POV they're in, since all the characters say "I"). I don't do that--I actually prefer them all in the same POV...

icerose · Mar 27, 2007

JustinThorne said:
You'd hate Jeff Vandermeer... he switches between 1st, 3rd and even 2nd and then adopts an academic style, complete with fictional references.

I like that style.

Oh, that would drive me insane. I need the voice to stay consistent throughout the book or it tugs me instantly out of the story and it takes time to get back into the new flow then just as I do they switch back.

giftedrhonda · Mar 27, 2007

I agree--I like a consistent style of voice. hahaha - I get confused easily, though...

Writer2011 · Mar 27, 2007

I do too like a consistent style of voice... James Patterson is famous for having a chapter in 1st, then a chapter or two in third... kinda drives me crazy, but that's how he operates...

Jamesaritchie · Mar 27, 2007

First/third

Like everything else, it depends on how well it's done. One of my favorite novels alternates chapters between first and third. Nothing a writer does pleases everyone.

JustinThorne · Mar 27, 2007

In my latest project, a fictional, historical account of my main protagonist, I have all the action in third person. Most of the story takes place in first person. The premise being, that my protagonist doesn't like talking about his violent past, so the accounts of his darker deeds have been pieced together by the historian.

giftedrhonda · Mar 27, 2007

Justin--that's cool, and that's done for a distinct purpose. I can groove with that.

I agree, James--it's all in how it's handled, isn't it? I'm sure there are examples that would make me eat my words.

JustinThorne · Mar 27, 2007

Different strokes and all that, but I would definitely recommend Vandermeer's Veniss Underground to see how to do it REALLY WELL!

DeadlyAccurate · Mar 27, 2007

Jonathan Stroud's The Bartimaeus Trilogy switches between 1st POV for Bartimaeus and 3rd for any other main characters. The Bartimaeus chapters are the best, simply because Bartimaeus is an awesome character. Bartimaeus also speaks in footnotes (which are usually hilarious). Awesome trilogy. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Writer2011 · Mar 27, 2007

I'm not knocking first and third

Just saying that if it's done well it works... James Patterson is a very good example...I'm sure there are other authors out there who do this too...

Maybe I shouldn't have said it drives me batty but it doesn't really--I kind of like it... So strike the last comment

Claudia Gray · Mar 27, 2007

ITA in that it's all a matter of technique. I think you have to be pretty good to pull off that kind of POV switch, but if you have the skill and are doing so for a good reason, the POV switching can work quite well. I recently read The Dream Life of Sukhanov, an extremely interesting novel that did precisely this, first in very discrete, defined passages -- then running together more and more at the end. It made sense, because the man's perception of his past self and his confusion about his present were finally colliding.

maestrowork · Mar 27, 2007

icerose said:
Why on earth would a writer choose to do this?

Because they can?

Story trumps everything. But if the POVs, or anything else, yank you out of the story and make want to stop reading, it's still not a good thing.

Julie Worth · Mar 27, 2007

Hypatia has a hilarious review of this book at Amazon, where she says, "...apparently the IQ of the reading population has sunk to a record low after reading the first series...having debauched into the mind state of a shrub..."

FTJoshua · Mar 27, 2007

Does consistency help? That is, if you know right away that chapter 1 is 3rd person, chapter 2 is 1st person, chapter 3 is 3rd again...etc. Does that do anything to remove the sour taste from your mouth (those who generally don't like the switch)?

The Scip · Mar 27, 2007

JustinThorne said:
In my latest project, a fictional, historical account of my main protagonist, I have all the action in third person. Most of the story takes place in first person. The premise being, that my protagonist doesn't like talking about his violent past, so the accounts of his darker deeds have been pieced together by the historian.

Great Idea!

Raphee · Mar 27, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
Like everything else, it depends on how well it's done. One of my favorite novels alternates chapters between first and third. Nothing a writer does pleases everyone.

James, What is the name of the novel you are referring to. I might want to read this; since I am thinking of doing a 1st and 3rd person alternation in a novel. I actually did start off that way but then shifted to all first.

The Lady · Mar 27, 2007

DeadlyAccurate said:
Jonathan Stroud's The Bartimaeus Trilogy switches between 1st POV for Bartimaeus and 3rd for any other main characters. The Bartimaeus chapters are the best, simply because Bartimaeus is an awesome character. Bartimaeus also speaks in footnotes (which are usually hilarious). Awesome trilogy. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Imagine, I read that series and never noticed. I also picked up a copy of a book called Skulduggery Pleasant today. It's by an new Irish author who sold it for over a million. Yeah, the first section so far is third but it's definitely got shades of omniscience about it. I'm about tired of this whole POV thing.

icerose · Mar 27, 2007

maestrowork said:
Because they can?

Story trumps everything. But if the POVs, or anything else, yank you out of the story and make want to stop reading, it's still not a good thing.

And story did trump which kept me reading and eager for the next book, but dang it, if I could rip out those switches I would. They tug me right out despite the author's obvious talent. She's one of them that can probably do it but I still don't like it.

I kind of cringe when I know the change is coming even. Dang though, it's such a good story, I'll just have to suffer through it.

Jumps between First Person and Third Person

icerose

Lost in School Work

JustinThorne

www.justinthorne.com

giftedrhonda

Gifted Goofball

icerose

Lost in School Work

giftedrhonda

Gifted Goofball

Writer2011

Jamesaritchie

JustinThorne

www.justinthorne.com

giftedrhonda

Gifted Goofball

JustinThorne

www.justinthorne.com

DeadlyAccurate

Absolutely Fazed

Writer2011

Claudia Gray

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Julie Worth

What? I have a title?

FTJoshua

What's a narrative engine?!

The Scip

...walks this way.

Raphee

In debt to AW

The Lady

Critical Member

icerose

Lost in School Work