Describe Narrator/Speaker: Short Fiction - AP English Literature and Composition
- What is a reliable narrator?
- A narrator whose account is generally credible and consistent. Readers can trust their version of events.
- Identify the narration type when the story uses "I" for the storyteller.
- First-person narration. The narrator participates in and tells their own story.
- Identify the narrator type: a witness narrates events but is not the protagonist.
- First-person peripheral (observer) narrator. Uses "I" but focuses on another character's story.
- Identify the point of view: "She vowed revenge; across town, he slept peacefully."
- Third-person omniscient narration. Simultaneous knowledge of separated characters' states.
- What is the key distinction between author and narrator or speaker?
- The narrator or speaker is a constructed voice; the author is real. Authors create narrators/speakers as literary devices.
- What is the key difference between the author and the narrator or speaker?
- The narrator or speaker is a constructed voice, not the real author. Authors create fictional voices to tell stories.
- Identify the narration type when only one character's thoughts are revealed in "he/she."
- Third-person limited narration. Restricted to one character's consciousness in third person.
- Identify the point of view: "She remembered the insult and vowed revenge."
- Third-person limited narration. "She" with internal thoughts shows limited access.
- What is a frame narrator?
- A narrator who introduces and contains another character's story. Creates a story-within-a-story structure.
- Identify the point of view: "I hid the letter under my coat and ran."
- First-person narration. "I" pronoun indicates narrator as participant.
- What is an intrusive narrator?
- A narrator who comments directly and offers judgments or guidance. Breaks the fourth wall with opinions and interpretations.
- Which narrator type is present when the storyteller is not a character in the plot?
- Third-person narrator. Stands outside the story world as an observer.
- What is an implied author (as distinct from narrator or speaker)?
- The guiding artistic presence inferred from the text's choices. The author's values/style shown through textual decisions.
- Identify the narration type when the narrator says "you" as the central figure.
- Second-person narration. Makes the reader the protagonist through direct address.
- What is the speaker in a poem?
- The voice or persona presenting the poem, not the author. Distinct from the poet; may be fictional or adopt different perspectives.
- Identify the narration type when the narrator reveals thoughts of several characters.
- Third-person omniscient narration. All-knowing perspective with access to multiple minds.
- Identify the narration mode: "You walk into the room and feel judged at once."
- Second-person narration. "You" pronoun places reader in the action.
- What is an objective (third-person) narrator?
- A narrator who reports actions and dialogue without inner thoughts. Functions like a camera, recording only external events.
- What is second-person narration?
- A narration that addresses "you" as the focal participant. Rare technique making reader the protagonist.
- Identify the narrator type: a character tells their own past story using "I."
- First-person narrator (character-narrator). Participates in and recounts their own story.
- What is a dramatic monologue speaker in poetry?
- A single speaker reveals character while addressing an implied listener. One-sided conversation reveals speaker's personality.
- Identify the narration type when the narrator reports only observable actions and dialogue.
- Objective (third-person) narration. Neutral reporting without psychological insight.
- What is a third-person omniscient narrator?
- A narrator who knows and may reveal multiple characters' thoughts. Has godlike knowledge of all characters' inner worlds.
- What is a third-person limited narrator?
- A narrator who uses "he/she" and accesses one character's mind. Follows one character's perspective without entering others' minds.
- Which term fits a narrator who tells the story after events have already occurred?
- Retrospective narrator. Looks back on past events with hindsight.
- What is stream-of-consciousness narration?
- Narration that mimics a character's continuous, associative thought. Captures unfiltered mental processes and random connections.
- What is a first-person narrator in prose fiction?
- A narrator who speaks as "I" and participates in the story. Uses personal pronouns and experiences events directly.
- What is a second-person narrator?
- A narrator who addresses the reader as "you" as the protagonist. Rare technique that places the reader in the protagonist role.
- What is a third-person objective narrator?
- A narrator who reports only observable actions and dialogue. Camera-like view without internal access.
- What is a stream-of-consciousness narrator or speaker?
- A voice presenting thought flow with minimal logical ordering. Mimics unfiltered mental processes.
- Identify the point of view: "She slammed the door. 'Do not follow me,' she said."
- Third-person objective narration. Only external actions/dialogue, no thoughts revealed.