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 be the same person if they are the same entity in the story.

The narrator has definite attributes and limitations that shape how the reader perceives the story. 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, addresses the audience directly, and describes the character's mind and emotions. To enter the story's world, the reader must suspend disbelief and accept its diegesis.

Mimesis: the story is told by an omniscient, incorporeal entity; 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.