Point of view in Alfred Edgar Coppard's 'Some Talk of Alexander‪'‬

Why make the effort of discussing the notion of ‘point of view’ or more precisely ‘focalization’? Since the times of Aristotle the different kinds of narrating a story have been regarded as being essential for the effect of a narrative on its readers, even though narration ‘only’ determines the way a story is mediated. Focalization on the other hand determines how all the elements of the story are perceived by its characters (or an external viewpoint), subtly giving judgement on the story’s events, objects and participants without making the reader fully aware of it.

Furthermore, focalization directly influences the reader’s reception of the story and his sympathy for its characters. As Seymour Chatman (1978: 157) has put it:

Access to a character’s consciousness is the standard entree to his point of view, the usual and quickest means by which we come to identify with him. Learning his thoughts insures an intimate connection. The thoughts are truthful, except in cases of willful self-deception. Unlike the narrator, the character can only be ‘unreliable’ to himself.

It is thus that ‘point of view’ or ‘focalization’ is vital for the effect of every piece of literature, even non-mediated genres.