Narration of fiction stories

Narration of fiction stories were usually told in the " first person" and "third person". Which type of narration is more to your liking ? There is a stark contrast between the third-person narration and the first-person narration, the narration of the third-person is more vivid and free flowing in the " tone" of the narrating a story. The narrative of the "first-person" is rather "authorian" liking to a person who is the sole "executor" of a story. Authorial style of writing tends to attract the writer's style of writing whereas the third-person writing's style will move us away from the "author's presence" and let us to concentrate toward the story's build-up of plots and characterisation.The indirect delivery of a story is more visible to a reader.

I would say the opposite, actually; the author is more intrusive in the third person than in the first.

In a first-person narrative, the narrator is (conventionally) one of the characters. A third person narrative introduces a narrator who is not a participant, a narrator whose point of view and privileged knowledge has to be accounted for.

First-person writing tends to be far more natural and free-flowing, because writing in the first person eliminates technical problems such as shifts in emotional distance and points of view. Writing well in the third person is more difficult.

It isn't true that first person writing calls attention to the writer's style while third person does not. Again, I'd argue the opposite. First person calls attention to the voice of a character, and the style of the narration often becomes a tool of characterization. In the third person, the author's style is all important because the story is now told entirely in the voice of a disembodied narrator.

#2: My reaction exactly.

#2: I agree - to me the first person narrative seems like 'the easy way out'. Often it seems like the less accomplished authors are the ones that prefer it, and with good reason.
I generally prefer 3. person narratives, both the all-knowing/ shifting pov, and the external. But since most urban fantasy - especially of the chick-lit variety - is written in first person, I read a lot of that too.

>5 amberwitch: In the hands of an accomplished writer, the first person can be extremely effective. The author can play with the reader's expectations, sometimes hiding important elements of plot or character, sometimes revealing them. This description from Wikipedia is nice.

#6: I agree, although I am not so fond of the unreliable narrator schtick.
My point was merely that I've encountered a number of authors who seemed to default to first person because it was easier. Not because it was effective, or added to the novel.

#6: If anyone is looking for recommendations, I think one of those accomplished writers is Kazuo Ishiguro. The Remains of the Day is my favorite.

Ah: I see him in the Wikipedia article. Along with a lot of other excellent authors.

I prefer third person narration because it can add a world of depth to the characters in the story. Stephen King does this very well. First person narration doesn't seem to have that in my experience. Perhaps I just need to read the right story.

I prefer a well-written book, period. I honestly can't relate to a preference for first person or third person, because they work differently for different things.

#10 I agree - well-written books overcome any drawbacks associated with the narrative POV. Having said that, first person narrative puts any weakness in characterisation right under the microscope.

Third person narration was "invented" by Jane Austin (supposedly) but was invented to show what was on the author's mind. The author is speaking through her characters similar to a puppet show. This style is known as indirect narration.

Free indirect style, which is sometimes credited to Jane Austen, is not the same thing as third person narration. It's just a mode of third person narration that has become more or less pervasive, a method of reporting the thoughts of the viewpoint character.

Although some novels are autobiographical, it's a big mistake to equate first person narrators with authors as a general rule. "Huckelberry Finn" is written in the first person, but who would think Huck and Samuel Clemens are the same person? Similar examples abound. Accept in the minority of cases where autobiography is involved, the art of first person narration is to create the voice and mind of a fictional narrator.

I like the almost Freudian fact that if there is a writer as a character it is almost always an incarnation of the author inside their own work.

There are also distinctions to be made in types of 3rd person narratives, such as 3rd person omniscient (the narrator knows, and tells the reader about, everything that is going on in every character's mind and also perhaps outside events none of the characters are aware of) and 3rd person limited, wherein the narration is 3rd person but we only see the story through the eyes of a single character, knowing only the things that character knows. The 3rd person limited is interesting because you're seeing much the same things you'd see in a first person narrative, but getting a "neutral" narrator's voice instead of the character's voice. At least those are the terms that I learned.

Some of my favorite first person narratives include Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Moby Dick and Heart of Darkness. Also, as mentioned, Huck Finn.

A lot of the mystery genre must be third person limited. To create walls in between the narration where the mystery lies.