: Re: What makes first person plural a tricky narrative voice? I absolutely loved Joshua Ferris's debut novel Then We Came to the End. Critics highly praised his use for the first person plural

@Tiffany377

Vote Up Vote Down

I think Ralph highlighted the biggest challenge of first person plural in particular.

In a more general sense, because 99% of the books we read are in "standard" first person or third person singular form, anything else will stand out to the reader. An unusual point of view is similar to a narrator with an accent or strange mode of speech (Everything is Illuminated, Fight Club). It draws the reader's attention to the words, and away from the story.

As an author, you now have an additional burden. The narration has to be so seamless that the reader gets used to it quickly and can then be sucked in by the story. Any little oddity in the narration risks bringing them "back out", reminding them of the unusual format. Granted, you always have to work hard to achieve smooth narration, but I would argue that an unusual tense or other affectation puts you at an additional handicap.

(0)

Login to post a comment!