Point of View in Fairy Tales

1. Point of View in Fairy Tales

2. Point of View in Art • In art it’s the angle of view from which a person sees the picture or scene. • Let’s look at a photograph to determine “angle of view.”

3. What is beyond the green tree in the foreground?

4. New Angles in Photographs • Point of view in a story is like the angle of a photograph. • A different angle in a picture gives us a new way of thinking about it.

5. Point of View in Literature • In literature point of view is the angle which a reader connects to the story—usually by the person who tells the story. • In Cendrillon, we know the person telling the story is Nannin, Cendrillon’s godmother.

6. The Person Telling the Story • Having a character relate the events makes a story more personal and helps the reader feel involved. • Cendrillon’s godmother can only see things from her own understanding. • For instance, she doesn’t know Cendrillon’s thoughts, but she can tell what Cendrillon’s feelings are from her actions and words.

7. What Happens When Point of View Changes? • What if the wicked stepmom, Madame Prosperine, tells the story? • What if Paul tells the story?

8. Other Point of View Choices • How would the story change if a distant, all-knowing narrator told the story? This person is called a 3rd person narrator. • What if you are the “I” person telling the story? How will the story change? This person is called the 1st person narrator.

9. You Decide! • Would Cendrillon be a better fairy tale if another character told the story? • Think about this as you choose the next Cinderella fairy tale to read.