The concept of "first person" belongs to the literature and is used when writing texts. Each must be composed using a character's narrative if it is fiction.
How is it in first person? What distinguishes these stories from others and how to identify them? Read this article.
Table of faces
Stories can be of three types:
- First person.
- Second person.
- Third person.
Only the style of narration changes in each. To determine the person in which the work is written, it is worth highlighting the most common personal pronouns: I, we, you, they and others.
Then you can use the face table:
| Singular | Plural | |
| First person | me | we |
| Second person | you | you |
| Third party | he, she, it | they |
Having determined the most common personal pronouns, it is necessary to highlight the main character of the story. Is it a specific character? It is you? Is it the author himself?
- If the author himself is the narrator, then the narration is in the first person. It's like the author is sitting next to you and telling you everything in a private conversation: I went, I did, I could and everything like that.
- Stories in the second person have not gained popularity, although they are very interesting. In this case, the author addresses the audience and presents everything as if the reader is doing the action: you did, you walk, you look, you see.
- Third-person narration is the most popular and most common: she did it, he told it, they left.
Types of stories
Literature can be artistic and non-fiction. Basically, first-person stories are typical for fiction, where the narration comes from the name of the hero.
First-person non-fiction is also found, albeit much less frequently. Most often, writing in the first person in this case is plural: not “I”, but “we”. An example of such a story can be a laboratory journal, in which there are passages like "… we did an experiment …", "… I took measurements …" and the like.
Don't confuse these with passages like "…our group has made a discovery…", as the story will then be told in the third person. "Our group" can be changed to "group" and then to "she". "Our" should not confuse you. ATIn first-person stories, only personal pronouns without prepositions matter.
Pros of stories from different people
- If the author wants to show the maximum intensity of emotions, then he will use the story in the first person. It is as if the hero himself tells about his adventures and experiences, the reader is imbued with his story and begins to empathize. It is much easier to sympathize with someone who, albeit in your imagination, sits in front of you and says something.
- Stories in the second person have not gained much popularity. The fact is that they are too highly specialized: a man, for example, is unlikely to like reading a book in which the feminine is full of: you did it, you looked, you heard. And even if a young lady reads the story, she may disagree with the actions of the main character. Because of this, there will be a rejection of history, a dislike for it will appear, and as a result, the book will be forgotten on the dustiest shelf.
- Third person stories allow the author to view the story not only from the perspective of the protagonist, but also from other characters. Thanks to this, you can see the whole picture of what is happening, without remaining chained to one person.
Example of face stories
If you still have the question “From the first person - how is it?”, then below you will find several examples of stories in different faces. They will help you learn to determine the key in which the text is composed.
"My sister looked at me, blazingdiscontent. I didn't know what caused it, so I tried to smooth it over with a weak smile. What was left for me? Just look at your sister and wait for the denouement.”
Despite the fact that there are several personal pronouns, the story is written in the first person. How was it determined? The main character is a man who talks about himself and his experiences. His sister's emotions are incomprehensible to him.
"You looked at your brother, trying not to scold. How is that? Why? How did you even get into this situation? You didn't know and evil looks are the only thing left for you.”
The same situation, only the story is written in the second person. Perhaps it even seemed strange to you, since such forms of narration are unusual for us.
"She gritted her teeth and cast a displeased look at her brother. He gave her an apologetic smile in an attempt to reassure her. It was strange to look at each other in such a situation, but they had no choice.”
Third person story. The emotionality of the work is lost, but both sides of the conflict are affected.
