The Narrator

Corporal Form

Three entities are necessary for storytelling of any kind, an author, a narrator and a reader. The author creates the characters, and events within the story. The narrator presents the story in a way the reader can comprehend. The reader's function is to understand and interpret the story. The author and narrator can one if they share the same entity relative to the story.

The narrator has definite attributes and limitations that are crucial for the way the story is perceived by the reader. The most important aspect of the narrator is the point-of-view from which the story is told. Point-of-view consists of corporal form, physical position, bias and grammatical stance.

There are two basic forms of narrative according to the corporal form of the narrator:

Diegesis: a personified narrator describes events in the narrative, addressing the audience directly describing what is in the character's mind and emotions. To enter the world of the story, the reader must suspend disbelief and accept the story's diegesis.

Mimesis: the story is told by an omniscient incorporeal entity; what is going on in a character's inner thoughts and emotions are shown through external actions rather than through description of the character's state of mind and emotions.