In my last update I mentioned I was going to be meeting up with my writers’ circle (virtually, through the power of discord). During the process the group focused on two different passages from different members, one was an urban adult fantasy while the other was more general contemporary young adult fiction. Despite the vast differences in the setting, scope, genre, and style they both shared some interesting qualities. They were both written in the first-person perspective and both with, in my opinion, fairly unlikeable characters. (Not that the characters were cruel or detestable in any way. They were just people with whom I would not particularly get along with based on the, admittedly short, introduction I had received to them.) Upon reflection during the critical analysis of these two stories that I realized there are in fact very few first-person stories that I really enjoy, there are a handful but not many overall.
Part of the reasoning for this unlikableness was in the seeming over use of the pronoun “I.” “I felt, I did, I wanted, etc etc.” It made the characters seem, at worst, self-centred, egotistical and unempathetic to those around them, at best the seemed to be unaware or oblivious. There is nothing inherently wrong with having an unlikable protagonist, but within the stories written in the first-person this individual is the audiences only viewpoint into the world that the author is creating. As such it is imperative that the audience is able to feel a connection to the character, through sympathy, empathy or just general agreeableness. Without any of these qualities the only reason left for the reader to continue is to see the protagonist punished for their flaws, a sort of schadenfreude reaction which can only carry one so far. This focus on the characters relating their experiences and interactions with themselves as the subject of most every phrase did not allow me to share those experiences with them. They became a from of clinical relation of facts, disassociated from the moment.
Thinking about the possibilities of the first-person perspective it seems to me that the constraints placed upon it outweigh its usefulness. Due to its very nature it requires an internal omniscience, providing the reader with an intimate and complete knowledge of the protagonist’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This can be considered the strength of the perspective, and rightly so. By using the first-person the readership understands these things of the protagonist and can get to understand their ambitions, motivations and their desires, fostering the all-important sympathy and empathy needed for a reader to maintain interest in the narrative. So why then do I consider this a drawback? Simply because of the presentation of this material. It falls easily into the telling versus showing conundrum that, I expect, many literature enthusiasts have heard a lot about. As I stated above it requires a significant amount of the use of the pronouns “I, me, and my.” This focus on the individual actually inhibits the reader from coming to an understanding of the world and its greater context. We are less aware of other characters ambitions and motivations save through an explicit telling of the facts. Because we do not see the events surrounding these other characters, and are only related them through the eyes of the protagonist or by having them literally explained by some other means, we do not have the experience of sharing them. This may not seem to be a problem, and it certain does not have to be one, but it becomes a limiting factor on the possibilities of storytelling available.
As an example, first-person perspective also inhibits the author from writing with an unreliable narrator. I explained above, this perspective requires an omniscient level of exposition when it comes to the protagonist’s inner workings. We know the reasons behind their thought process and if we don’t and there is a sudden twist in the story revealing some other motivation then we, the readers, feel like we have been cheated. This also means that any major story plot twist that occurs based off of some bit of information the audience doesn’t know is entirely a surprise and feels cheap, like the author merely wanted to shock their readers. There are definitely ways around this type of thing, but it requires a deft hand and, likely, some additional characters at had. Much like Holmes is available to reveal to Watson the diabolical connivences, or contrivances, of the criminal masterminds.
Another weakness of the first-person perspective comes in the form of dramatic tension. Or rather the lack of dramatic tension. Let me explain. These types of stories tend to inherently read like the memoirs of the protagonist, writing after the events of the story. This would then imply to the reader that, whatever outcome of the main plot, the protagonist comes out of the scenario alright. There is never a threat to their life or well-being. On top of this, despite being internally omniscient, the first=person narrator is also supposed to be an imperfect witness. Their perspective only covers the things that they experienced firsthand. This means that any important events that happen elsewhere in the story are not presented to the reader except in the aftermath of the effects (or at least in how those events later impact the narrator after their occurrence).
Perhaps this comes from the structure and presentation of the narration. It seems to me that most of these types of stories are presented as someone writing and reflecting on the past, though they can also be presented as diary entries. These two methods ought to be presented in vastly different manners and completely change the readers perception and interpretation of the story as a whole. I spoke above of the lack of dramatic tension in the first-person narrative. This is certainly the case if the author is composing the story in that first method as a memoir or other reflecting on past events. Diary entries can be different in this capacity in that there is always the possibility of the diary not be completed and the ultimate end of the story being more of an implied ending (sort of like a film fading to black just before some point of action or interaction is resolved, think the ending of the Sopranos).
This is not entirely the case. P.G. Wodehouse displays a mastery of the perspective in his Jeeves and Wooster series. Wodehouse writes Wooster as an unreliable narrator through a very clever use of absurdity. When good old Bertie Wooster is, shall we say, glossing over a subject the text is very clear in its presentation of the skeptical facts. In so doing the reader is then told, through the medium of omission, what had occurred. And, of course, it helps that Bertie’s motivations are clearly presented in a manner external to him that instils those sympathetic and empathetic responses in the reader. Any dramatic tension presented remains as the stakes are actually quite low (despite what Bertie or his friends tell us.) This is similar to the manner of its use in the Sherlock Holmes stories. Authur Conan Doyle uses the first-person perspective by writing through the eyes of Watson, acting as a witness to the events of the mysteries. In the Holmes stories, the protagonist is not Watson but Homes, and this allows ACD to have that fallible narrator as Watson is rarely capable with keeping up with Holmes mental gymnastics and is thus unaware of the events and situations taking place until he is informed of them and thus, tangentially, the reader is also informed.
This is by no means a comprehensive examination of the nature of first-person perspective and more a measured reaction and thought train to a particular experience. So, by all means disagree, tell me I am wrong and lets get this conversation started. Is third-person perspective the superior perspective? It most certainly has it’s own set of flaws, what are they? How are they nullified by a competent author?
To my writer’s circle comrades, if you want to persist with the first-person perspective for your narrative I would definitely suggest investigating the merits and flaws of all the options and to read both the good and the bad stories written in the first-person. Read some Jeeves and Wooster and Sherlock Holmes stories and see how Wodehouse and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle make use of those strengths and minimise those flaws. And ultimately try not to make your main characters too overly pompous, egotistical and self-centred.
How about you all? Have you all read books written in the first-person perspective? Did you enjoy them? Some suggested first-person books to read would include I, Robot by Issaac Asimov, Moby Dick by Herman Melville and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. (along with the Jeeves and Wooster series of course.)
Now, regarding the future of the blog, I am still working on various things for the blog. The first proper article is coming soon, I promise. It will be investigating the purpose and point of fantasy and science-fiction, explaining why they may just have the potential to be the most important type of fiction and why they fall short so frequently. I am also planning a series of rant style entries on a variety of topics including; Why fan fiction and head cannon is stupid and you should not do it, realism versus verism and why they matter to a genre like fantasy, how the rule of cool kills storytelling, and several other “hot takes.”
Uni is still taking a large toll of my time, both for the course I am taking and the course I am a teaching assistant for. It is interesting and enjoyable, but it is my priority for my time consumption. Mainly translating ancient Greek is fascinating, interesting, enjoyable but so very time consuming I have perhaps gone above the time allotted for TAing ever week for this term, preparing for the tutorials, creating additional handout materials to assist with particular concepts and the grading element. My main paper for this term is also a massive time commitment, looking at the language used by Herodotus in describing the natural philosopher Thales comparing that to other contemporary writers and to those fragments we have from Thales himself. It ends up being a lot of translation and a fair amount of additional research going on about the subject.
Anyways, All the best
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DPJ Miles
Gadfly Fiction 