Third Person Point of View: Limited, Omniscient, and Objective

Third Person Point of View: (...) Limited, Omniscient, and Objective Third person point of view is when the narrator is not a part of the story and explains the events using an outside perspective. There are three different types of third person point of view: limited, omniscient, and objective. Let's read a story about a sleepover written in the third person LIMITED. Zayd and Ari just settled in for a movie. Ari was looking forward to finally watching Ghosts in the Closet, since scary movies are their favorite, and sat close to the screen. Suddenly Ari heard a BUMP and started trembling. Third person LIMITED, is when the narrator knows and focuses on the feelings of ONE character... which in this case is Ari. Authors use this to give readers unlimited knowledge about ONE character to establish a deeper connection. What feelings did Ari have? (...) We know that Ari felt excited because the text says they were 'looking forward' to it and they 'sat close to the screen'... then Ari felt scared because they 'started trembling' when they heard the bump. We have LIMITED knowledge of how other characters, like Zayd, feel... and we must infer that from their interactions with the character we DO know about. In stories that are told in the third person OMNISCIENT... we learn about ALL the characters' thoughts and feelings. Authors use this to tell the reader about EACH character's perspective... but you might not be able to connect with the characters as deeply since we are focusing on more than one. Let's take a look at the same story written in the third person omniscient: Zayd and Ari just settled in for a movie. Ari was looking forward to finally watching Ghosts in the Closet since scary movies are their favorite, and sat close to the screen. Zayd on the other hand didn't really like scary movies. Suddenly Ari heard a BUMP and started trembling. "What was that?" Zayd asked curiously as he stood up. We already know Ari's feelings from the last text. What feelings did Zayd have? (...) Zayd was nervous about watching a scary movie since the text says he doesn't 'really like them'... and we know Zayd felt interested in the noise since he asked what it was 'curiously' and stood up. In this version, the author showed us the thoughts and feelings of Ari AND Zayd. Let's read one more text written in the third person objective, which is when the narrator only reports facts and events as a neutral observer and does NOT share ANY of the character’s feelings. Authors may use this to conceal the feelings of the characters to add mystery and make it more interesting... but this may create distance between the reader and the characters since we don't know how they feel. Zayd and Ari just settled in for a scary movie called Ghosts in the Closet. Ari sat close to the screen. Suddenly, Ari and Zayd heard a BUMP. "What was that?" Zayd asked as he stood up. Third person objective states the events as they happen and the external actions, or what Zayd and Ari do... but we don't know how they're feeling. Each type of point of view has its advantages and disadvantages, and which one the author chooses depends on the purpose of writing. Before Ari and Zayd investigate the noise they heard, let's summarize. Remember,(...) there are three different types of third person points of view: limited, omniscient, and objective. Third person LIMITED is when the narrator knows and focuses on the feelings of ONE character. Third person omniscient is when the narrator knows the feelings of ALL the characters. Third-person objective is when the narrator only reports facts and events as a neutral observer and does NOT share ANY of the characters' feelings. "PHEW Hewie it was just you!" "Now we can watch Ghosts in the Closet with our ghost from the closet!"