See you next time

That’s the end of this lesson, and the course!

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning a few important things:

How first-person point of view relies on limiting the narrator’s perception and knowledge
How to add depth and richness to first-person narrative by using subjective commentary such as value judgments, beliefs, opinions, personal history and so on
How to extend and enrich a very simple plot using first-person devices
Developing a tension by raising a question and then postponing giving an answer, while at the same time building a fear around what the answer will be
Creating a sense of foreboding through language choices and descriptive details, and
Developing metaphor and imagery throughout a piece so that you can use it as a satisfying ending.

What’s on people’s minds? This course has been about first-person point of view, which is all about what is going on inside other people’s heads.

Look at the people around you. What do you think is going on in their head whenever they are doing something important. Are they talking to themselves? If so, what are they saying? Are they thinking in images? What are they?

If you are brave, ask them and see if your guesses were right.

The next time you’re reading any fiction, keep an eye out for key images, metaphors, phrases—anything that gets developed and reused for impact.

If you’re reading first-person narrative, look at how many of the techniques we’ve seen in this course are used.

If you’re reading third-person narrative, how does it compare? How is information given out? Are there any subjective statements?

'That Eye, the Sky' by Tim Winton is about a boy in a country town whose family struggle after the father of the family is paralysed in a car accident, then are targeted by a mysterious stranger claiming to be a preacher come to help them (Source)

First person in That Eye, the Sky 6: The bad event