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A Guide to Third Person Omniscient and Examples

Apr 27, 2022

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Narrators are the backbone of any story. They decide what details are made available to or withheld from the public and also the way in which the story is communicated. The narrator may be actively involved in the story, while sometimes, the story may be told through a third-person omniscient narration.

What is Third Person Omniscient?

But what is third person perspective, omniscient exactly? Also, what exactly is third person limited omniscient? And what is its nearest relative?

What about a limited Third Person Omniscient?

The third person's omniscient point of view is able to access the thoughts and emotions of the characters in all stories, a the limited third person omniscient perspective can only be used for a specific person. A limited third person narrator lets the author explore the story through the emotions and thoughts of the character in question.

The first person's viewpoints employ personal pronouns like "I," "me," and "we," the limited third person point of view remains a story told by an outside observer of the storyline, who happens to have the most intimate knowledge of just one individual's internal workings.

Examples of third-person Omniscient

Third Person Omniscient

When you read "As those camping tucked into their sleeping areas, Zara hoped her eyes were not a sign of her fear, and Lisa silently wished for the night to quickly end"--that's an instance of the third person's omniscient narration. Multiple characters' emotions as well as their inner thoughts are accessible to the reader.

Here are a couple of well-known examples:

  • "Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley's attentions to his sister Elizabeth did not appear to be believing that she was being a source of fascination to his admirer. Mr. Darcy had at first , he had not permitted her to be pretty: he had looked at her in a non-approach at the ball; and after their next meeting, he looked at her but only to critique." -- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
  • "His voice rang out in the black smoke before the burning ruin of the island; and affected by his feeling, the other children started to cry and shake as well. And in the middle and with a filthy body matted hair, and an unwiped noses, Ralph wept for the ending of his innocence, the insanity of mans heart, and the demise of the true, wise beloved friend he named Piggy." -- William Golding, The Lord of the Flies

Limited Third-Party Omniscient

An example of limited third person omniscient narration: "Marcus warily took one second glance at his mom, unable to read the look on her face as he walked off towards school." The narration is being a part of the eyes of a single individual, whom's thoughts and feelings are tightly held.

A few famous examples from this view are:

  • "Dumbledore began for speaking, then shut it once more. Fawkes the phoenix let out an inscrutable, low music-like cry. The phoenix's cry caused Harry to be embarrassed. the wizard suddenly realized that his eyelids were bright and watery, and stared hastily at his knee." - J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  • "Sometimes she was able to hear night sounds she was not aware of or leapt off lightning to close. However, every time she fell and fell, it was the ground that snatched her. Then, finally, in some point, she was unrecognizable, and the pain in her heart dissolved as sand turns to water. Still there, but deep. Kya put her fingers on the breathing, wet earth and it became her mother." - Delia Owens, The Place where the Crawdads Sing

Put your writing tools to practice in this helpful video packed with the author Gayle Forman's top strategies.

When to Use the Third Person Omniscient for a Writer

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